 A
Day for the Hunter a Day for the Prey : Popular Music and Power
in Haiti (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) by Gage
Averill
The history
of Haiti throughout the twentieth century has been marked by oppression
at the hands of colonial and dictatorial overlords. But set against
this "day for the hunter" has been a "day for the
prey" - a history of resistance and sometimes of triumph.
With keen cultural and historical awareness, Gage Averill shows
that Haiti's vibrant and expressive music has been one of the
most highly charged instruments in this struggle - one in which
power, politics, and resistance are inextricably fused. Averill
explores such diverse genres as Haitian jazz, troubadour traditions,
Vodou-jazz, konpa, mini-djaz, new generation, and roots music.
He examines the complex interaction of music with power in contexts
such as honorific rituals, sponsored street celebrations, Carnival,
and social movements that span the political spectrum. With firsthand
accounts by musicians, photos, song texts, and ethnographic descriptions,
this book explores the profound manifestations of power and song
in the day-to-day efforts of ordinary Haitians to rise above political
repression.
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