“We're using art as our ammunition” | Azueï

One of the most inspiring sets at the last WOMEX in Porto was by Azueï, a group from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, two countries that hardly connect even though they share the island known as Hispaniola (which they prefer to refer to it by its indigenous name, Kiskeya). Azueï aim to bring the two cultures together – one speaking Spanish, the other Haitian Creole. There are strong vocals, fizzing guitars, a horn section and vibrant percussion. “Music, video, graffiti, sculpture, literature, circus and a strong dose of activism – these are our weapons to stand in this fight together with the legacy of our common ancestors,” they say.

Their music may be danceable and fun, but there’s no denying its political edge. The cover of Azueï’s debut album, Artybonito, shows a bus rolling across the island of Kiskeya and relates to the song ‘Guagua Taptap’, the name for this vehicle in Caribbean Spanish and Creole. “It’s a carnival song where we’re inviting everyone to get on our bus,” says producer Younès Karroum. “It has heads in two directions, which is politically important.” This is the way Azueï’s music works, getting a political message across with seductively danceable sounds. They weren’t wearing them at WOMEX, but they often don outfits decorated with the forked shape of Kiskeya (see image above).

The current political conflicts stem from the way the island was divided between the colonial governments of France and Spain in 1697. Haiti became the first independent black republic in 1804, from France, and Haiti, then the more powerful half, occupied the entire island of Hispaniola from 1822 until 1844, when the Dominican Republic became independent. Now the economy of the Dominican Republic is ten times larger than that of Haiti and there’s a lot of economic migration from the latter to the former. 

One of Azueï’s lead singers is Rebel Layonn – real name James Vergneau. “I’m a rebel for a good cause. I see my artistry as a way to make change and represent the voices of the people who don’t have a voice. That’s why, in Azueï, we are artist activists, because we’re in this as a cause and using the art as our ammunition for reaching our goal.” That goal isn’t necessarily a reunion, but a recognition of common cultural values. Their song ‘La Otra Cara’ (The Other Side) is “about the untold history of our island, from the Taíno and the slaves, to the recent dictatorships of Duvalier and Trujillo; 600 years in a four-minute song.” The lyrics to one verse read: ‘Christopher Columbus landed and that is where our nightmare began / We are the heirs of the battle for freedom, for which our ancestors sacrificed themselves.’

The album’s closing title-track, ‘Artybonito’, named after the Artibonite River that rises in the Dominican Republic and flows through Haiti into the Caribbean, is a bachata, a dance from the Dominican Republic, but one also popular in Haiti. “It’s ultimately a symbol of unity of Haitian and Dominican couples. These meetings should be joyful. There are many barriers,” says Karroum, “but we hope they are the future.” In that spirit, Azueï offer an invitation to travel across their island through its musical heritage – bachata, reggae, carnival, merengue, compas, salsa, hip-hop and soca – in an Afro-Caribbean fusion.  

Read the review of Artybonito in the Songlines Reviews Database

This article originally appeared in the March 2022 issue of Songlines magazine. Never miss an issue – subscribe today