In Haiti’s ‘rara capital,’ locals ignore ban on street festivities to keep tradition alive

LÉOGÂNE, Haiti — For the second consecutive year, authorities in Léogâne banned rara parades amid Haiti’s worsening security crisis. But across this joyous coastal town, long considered the heart of rara, the music has not stopped.

As part of carnival season, bands continue to march, drums echo throughout the town’s neighborhoods and crowds gather ahead of Easter — in defiance of both fear and official restrictions to maintain one of Haiti’s most enduring cultural traditions.

“We come out to celebrate because we cannot let our tradition disappear,” said Raynold Laurent, a member of the ‘Ti Malice Kache’ band, named after a popular folk character.

 “Rara is part of our identity and our culture — essential to who we are as people,” Laurent added.

More than the music genre it is named after, rara is rooted in Vodou traditions and shaped by Haiti’s African, Taíno and European influences. Performed annually across the country between Lent and Easter, rara season kicks off with illumination, a lighting vigil honoring ancestors and spirits often held at cemeteries, crossroads, waterfalls and other sacred sites. 

Blending music, spirituality and community life, rara processions feature handcarved wooden instruments, such as bamboo horns, drums and chachas, and metal trumpets and percussion up front. Call-and-response chants led by sambas — band leaders who compose and direct performances, ensure revelers from all walks of life follow as each band executes its theme and routes. 

Scholars and cultural historians trace rara’s origins to both pre-colonial rituals and forms of resistance during slavery, when enslaved Africans used music and procession to communicate with each other and preserve identity. Over time, the tradition evolved into a cornerstone of Haiti’s cultural calendar, closely tied to carnival traditions and influencing modern genres like konpa.

In Léogâne, the weeks-long season had typically drawn tens of thousands of visitors from across Haiti and abroad, boosting local commerce and tourism. 

“Léogâne is the capital of rara,” said Jean Carlo Désilus of the Léogâne Rara Union, an association of local bands. 

“This music is our cultural emblem,” he said during a March 24 procession, explaining the decision to hold the festivities despite the ban. “The authorities must restore security to preserve this cultural.”

Fear of violence meets faith in tradition 

In 2025, municipal authorities suspended official rara festivities, citing the spread of gang violence. Located just 21 miles from Port-au-Prince, where gangs run nearly 90 percent of the country’s capital, Léogâne officials feared the violence might reach them. They cited the repeated attacks on Gressier, a neighboring town less than 10 miles from Léogâne, in banning the celebrations. 

This year, the officials maintained the ban. Armed groups have expanded beyond Port-au-Prince into surrounding towns — attacking communities, controlling roads and limiting movement. Regions once considered relatively stable now face growing threats.

“This decision is about prevention and protecting lives,” Mayor Ernson Henry said.

Despite the restrictions, rara bands chose to continue their activities — first with the traditional illumination ceremony on Feb. 19, then with intermittent parades through Easter.

On weekends, the groups — many with colorful names like “Ti Malice Kache” and “La Fleur de Rose” and “Mande Granmoun” — take to the streets. Over several hours, they draw crowds that follow them around town, dancing and chanting to the rhythm of drums and bamboo horns.

During one March procession, hundreds moved through the streets, with vendors selling drinks and snacks while thousands of youth, children and adults joined. For many residents, the gatherings offer rare moments of relief in a country grappling with daily violence.

“Insecurity cannot be used as a pretext to stop rara,” said musician Whisky Pierre. “If gangs want to come, a ban on rara festivities won’t stop them.”

Culture endures in fragile atmosphere

Still, the celebrations are noticeably diminished.

Residents say the absence of multiple competing bands — once a hallmark of rara season — has changed the atmosphere.

“Normally, the whole community would be buzzing,” said Johanna Lima, a resident of the Lapointe Cercey neighborhood. “Now it’s limited.”

The risks remain real. In 2024 and 2025, armed groups attempted incursions into Léogâne, triggering panic and, in at least one case, the death of a child from a stray bullet.

Some bands have delayed or scaled back their activities due to safety concerns and limited resources.

For groups like Ti Malice Kache, founded in 1916, rara is not just performance when times are good. It is legacy — a link between past and present, spirituality and survival.

Band members recount how early musicians used improvised instruments made from everyday objects, building what would become a multi-generational institution. Today, the group trains young musicians and preserves traditional knowledge.

Similarly, La Fleur de Rose, founded in 1895, remains one of the oldest and most iconic rara bands. Its leaders say the music helped shape Haiti’s broader musical evolution, including the development of the rasin, or roots, and konpa genres.

As the season’s end nears, more groups are planning closing parades despite the ban, signaling a growing collective defiance. But even as bands continue to perform, the absence of formal organization — including security measures, stages and Easter Sunday finales — raises concerns about the future of the tradition.

Willy Laurent, a sexagenarian and member of Ti Malice Kache, the security crisis is a real concern, but rara transcends all in Léogâne.

 “The security situation has been an obstacle for us,” Laurent told The Haitian Times. “Still, we are prepared to continue making people dance one season at a time, regardless.”

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