Rara music is a Lenten processional music with strong ties to the Vodou religious tradition. It has been commonly confused with Haitian Carnival since both celebrations involve large groups of dancing revelers in the streets. Rara is performed between Ash Wednesday (the day after Carnival ends) until Easter Sunday (or Easter Monday in some parts of Haiti.) Rara bands roam the streets performing religious ceremonies as part of their ritual obligations to the βlwaβ or spirits of Haitian Voodoo.
The songs are always performed in Haitian KreyΓ²lΒ and typically celebrate the African ancestry of the Afro-HaΓ―tian masses. Rara in Haiti is often used for political purposes, with candidates commissioning songs praising them and their campaigns. Rara lyrics also often address difficult issues, such as political oppression or poverty. Consequently, rara groups and other musicians have been banned from performing and even forced into exileβmost notably, folk singer Manno CharlemagneΒ who later returned to HaΓ―ti and was elected mayor of Port-au-Prince in the 1990s.
