“From its monumental revolution and establishment as the first free Black nation in the Western Hemisphere, to its current crisis, Sak Pasé is a cry for liberty and freedom for a nation that has contributed so much to the world: Haiti. The song is played in Cuban Cha Cha Cha with a touch of Hip Hop, and usage of Haitian Creole. . . . Also mentioned is Bwa Kayman, the spiritual site in Haiti where Vodou priest Boukman held the ceremony that started the revolution in the 1790’s, which is still inspiring ideas of freedom and revolution in the minds of millions around the world.”
These are the Welfare Poets!
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
Great music again, Z. Interesting how the symbolism of ‘Black Pearl’ appears in many cultures.
I love it when the youth become conscious and politically aware. I just wish that we could see that here in the US. It’s been a very very very long time.
cero, this is killer. this fuses many things i love in music. real good stuff, thanks for posting it.
stephen, you’re right.
i assume you know Rage Against the Machine? altho they are disbanded, tristemente, they were a great political rock band. very hip with current events and literature, all about being socially aware. i grew up on reggae which is also very much about this stuff. so i feel a real lack of it, too today. Proving your point, I can’t think of a lot of other bands like them. So many of today’s young bands are about bullshit. materialism, and ego. random anger and angst, interal psychic masturbation. (heh like a lot of my past music). I think america encourages this “me me me” type of focus.
and i guess this contrast (the point you make) is why i go to other types of music to get my fix on this. Like Control Machete, a hardcore Mexican hiphop band that is very socially conscious in their lyrics. one of my favoritos.
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That was a heavy exposition. Thanks for sharing this. I had heard about Baba Boukman but was rather ignorant about Haitian politics in general. Whoa!
Wonderful!! What does sak pase mean?
I think it is something like, “current news,” i.e. “what’s going on [right now].”
I think it is derived from “Ce qui passe” [what is happening]. It could also be in the past tense, in which case it would mean something like, “what has gone on / what has been going on [and is still going on].”
I e-mailed the video to my brother, who actually speaks Creole, in hopes of getting a more technical explanation.
Check for the welfare poets at myspace.com/rayofthewelfarepoets
they are literally one of the best bands in the states, fusing Hip Hop with many styles
explosive