Promoting Cultural Awareness
Haiti is best known for its unique history, the bravery and the pride of its citizens. Haiti is also known very well for the richness of its culture that includes arts, musics, literature, languages, religions, customs, and traditions.
Hope and Change for Haiti promote a clear understanding of the Haitian culture through a variety of cultural events in Rhode Island. We share with the community the beauty of our diverse culture.
Recent Cultural Events
In Partnership with RI Haitian Community Center/HAPPARI , Hope and Change For Haiti hosted an event to bring the rhythms of traditional Haitian music to Rhode Island. This event was a one-day workshop about Haitian Drum teaching to benefit the Rhode Island community. Haitian Master Drummer Leon Mackendie from Jean Appolon Expressions (in Cambridge MA) was the facilitator of this workshop. This event was an opportunity to teach the youth in the Haitian community and other communities about the fundamentals, rituals, and history of the Haitian drums. Considered as a sacred musical instrument in the Haitian culture, drums sounds have played a significant role in the slaves’ strategic battle to defeat the great Napoleon’s army of France to set Haiti as the first Black Country independent in the world in January 1st, 1804. While this workshop was designed to welcome participants that have no prior drums skills, it also suitable to advanced drummers. As a trainer, Mr. Mackendie covered a variety of drumming techniques, patterns, and sounds genres with the participants so they could learn to drum.
