A day for the hunter, a day for the prey
Subtitle: popular music and power in Haiti
By: Gage Averill.
Series: Chicago studies in ethnomusicology
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Chicago
Language: eng
Number of pages: 276
Subjects: Popular music -- Haiti -- History and criticism.; Power (Social sciences) -- Haiti -- History -- 20th century.
Description: 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.
Notes: Discography: p. 255-258.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-253) and index.