Bwa Kayiman in Prospect Park 18 August 2002
Channel: The Frisner Augustin Memorial Archive
Date: 2019-07-29

Frisner Augustin and Makandal presented the company’s annual Bwa Kayiman in the Gran Bwa area of Prospect Park, Brooklyn, on Sunday, 18 August 2002. The Troupe had presented in Brooklyn parks since it received its first grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council in 1985, but it inaugurated the annual Bwa Kayiman in 1999. The 2002 performance would be the last as the company shifted focus to its Rising Sun series. Support in 2002 came from the Brooklyn Arts Council; the National Endowment for the Arts as part of a grant supporting several performances; and the City Parks Foundation/Mellon Foundation, which offered funding in public spaces in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. With increased funding, the Troupe hired more artists than previously, most notably, poet and performance artist Marguerite Laurent, who wrote and narrated the script, and dancer/vocalist Erol Josue. Photographer Tequila Minsky documented the event in video.

The program commemorated a meeting of enslaved people and free people of color in a wooded area of northern Haiti (Bwa Kayiman) in August of 1791. The Bwa Kayiman meeting played a crucial role in the development of Haitian Vodou and had a political dimension as well. Following sacred African rites and the sacrifice of a swine, those in attendance pledged an oath of secrecy and solidarity and planned the details of the massive uprising of August 22, which historians agree to as the launch of Haiti’s singular revolution of enslaved people. Most scholars agree that the meeting took place on August 14—falling on a Wednesday in 2002—a logical date since it is the eve of a Catholic holiday that diverted and pre-occupied the slaveowners of nearby Cap Français. Vodou Oungan Deenps Bazile had been commemorating Bwa Kayiman in the Park for some years. Bazile’s guiding spirit, Gran Bwa (spirit of the woods), gave its name to an area of the Park near Prospect Lake. Oungan Bazile shared the space with Makandal for the 2002 event during the day, and he held his commemoration in the evening.

Here the viewer sees the rough footage of Ms. Minsky’s recording. Highlights included a song by Mr. Josue that segued into the legendary speech by slave leader Boukman Duty at Bwa Kayiman (00:12:36); a song for the water spirit Lasirenn with solo dance by Nancy Hérard (00:16:43); the tracing of a vèvè (sacred diagram) for Legba, gatekeeper to the spirit realm (00:20:15); a dance piece in nago (for the warrior spirits) and ibo (for soul escorts and freedom fighters, 00:21:18); salutations in song and dance to the Legba of the Petwo nation (revolutionaries) that included pouring of libations from a giant altar bottle by artist Kesler Pierre  (00:32:54); dancer Mikerline Pierre’s simulated possession by warrior spirit Èzili Dantò, followed by several real possessions of audience members (00:36:02); a dance number in kongo with members of the audience joining in (00:42:24); and a final salute to Gede (death and resurrection), with Mr. Josue representing the spirit (00:47:12).

Frisner Augustin, lead drum
Steve Deats, second drum
Kesler Pierre, third drum
Marc Etienne, bass drum
Michael Adams, percussion
Erol Josue, dance director, vocalist
Marguerite Laurent, performance artist, poet
Christina Deats, Nancy Hérard, Natalie Pardo; Felicity Percy, Mikerline Pierre, dancers
Dr. Lois Wilcken, producer, opening remarks

Video by Tequila Minsky

Source identifier: MAK_TM_PER.001_0001mi_co_20020818
Creator: Tequila Minsky
Rights: Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0
Date: 18 August 2002
Source format: Video 8
Language: Haitian Creole and English