Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Year of the Rising Sun

Posted on 02/01/2023 by makandal1758

I am Gede, eternal figure in black, master of the abyss into which the sun sinks. I make the days grow short and the nights grow long. You perforce will cross the threshold of my palace, the tomb and the … Continue reading →

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Vodou Jazz! Makandal’s Newest Audio Release

Posted on 03/04/2022 by makandal1758

It’s never too late for a new discovery. In re-mixing and digitizing Makandal’s album Èzili we found a track that had not been included in the original 1986 release. Frisner Augustin composed “Vodou Jazz” in the zepòl style and performed … Continue reading →

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We Remember: A Community Memorial for Those We Lost in the Time of COVID

Posted on 05/06/2021 by makandal1758

Tuesday, June 8, 2021, 6–9 PM EDT at Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn Join Makandal as it takes part in We Remember, an interactive memorial honoring the lives of some 52,000 New Yorkers who left us in the time of COVID-19. Greenwood … Continue reading →

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Chante! Sing!

Posted on 20/07/2015 by makandal1758

But wait a minute! Who said I can’t sing? I think I did. How did the child of two musicians, one a pianist, the other a singer—yes, a singer—become so timid with her voice? Is it reversible? Well, I will … Continue reading →

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Vodou Love in Outer Space

Posted on 16/07/2015 by makandal1758

Pluto has a heart! Scientists looking at the first images from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, which just arrived in the Pluto zone after three billion miles and nearly ten years, have spotted a heart-shaped region on the frosty planet. They’ve … Continue reading →

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A Message to You

Posted on 09/07/2015 by makandal1758

I’m writing to you, that free spirit who can’t stop dancing to the beat of a drum. You must have come out of the womb this way. Am I right? As far back as you can remember, your proclivities failed … Continue reading →

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Why I’ve Renamed This Site

Posted on 07/07/2015 by makandal1758

Short and sweet today. I’ve opted to rework the title and the tagline of this site. Take a look above and see “Welcome to Makandal” (title) and “Bridging the Past and Future of Traditional Haitian Arts” (tagline).   What happened to “La Troupe … Continue reading →

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Introducing the Woman behind the Rudder

Posted on 06/07/2015 by makandal1758

I am Lois, and I blog on behalf of La Troupe Makandal. As you walk through our virtual space, you’ll note that a collective of performing artists who specialize in the classic drumming and dance traditions of Haiti constitute Makandal. … Continue reading →

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Born to Dance, Born to Play

Posted on 09/06/2015 by makandal1758

The drum was born to dance. The child of a tree, the drum knows the pulse of its parent’s vascular system, the kinetic locus between the moisture and nutrients that roots seduce from the soil, and the chemical energy that … Continue reading →

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From the Research Corner

Posted on 15/09/2014 by makandal1758

[Note:  Makandal’s work, like all projects in folklore, dances ploge (intimately) with research.  This entry will engage the reader with some intriguing questions on representing Haitian music.]   From Doctor Lois: So a publisher has asked me to write an encyclopedia … Continue reading →

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