A memorial ceremony for those lost in the Haiti earthquake

A drumming ceremony was held on a state beach Tuesday evening to commemorate Haitian Vodou community leader Yolande Vital, and all those who died in the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Island musician Rick Bauzeman has for years been working to strengthen Haiti’s spiritual, cultural, social and economic infrastructure, while also educating people elsewhere about the connections between the Western world and Haitian voodoo culture.

Bauzeman was in Haiti doing charitable and community work when the earthquake struck, and was able to escape and go home early.

To him, his close friend Vital represents all the potential that a caring and passionate community can offer, and embodies the mission of Bausman’s non-profit organization, The Milokan Project.

The project seeks to strengthen ties between Americans and Haitians, and to create more understanding about what Vodou means. It also seeks to increase the opportunity for Haitians to learn more about their culture and history and how drums and music play a major role in this. Ultimately, Bausman is creating cultural centers in Haiti so that people can go there to learn about the vast Vodou culture and history that has been so misrepresented in America.

In the earthquake, Vital—who owned and ran an orphanage and a church in Haiti—were killed along with her parishioners and children in the orphanage when the paristel, a sacred place where ceremonies were held, collapsed in her building.

Vital was a high-ranking member of the Voodoo clergy, and a major community leader who was known for giving altruistically, regularly bringing in members from outside her parish—particularly homeless or deserted children.

At State Beach, Bauzeman and a number of other drummers and musicians paid respects to Vital and others whose lives were killed or affected by the disaster.

The ceremony included Haitian drumming and singing, along with the Potomitan (a ceremonial pillar) and Veve (a spiritual symbol) representing the god Vodou embodied by Vital.

Bauzeman explained that each voodoo clergy person embodies a different spiritual entity based on their personality and beliefs. Bowsman recounted that when leading the ceremony, Vital would often be taken over by Bossou the bull, the Vodou deity who represented strength and brutality. “She would come to the party wearing black and red Chicago Bulls and black and red Air Jordans – red and black being Bossou. Yolande was funny, light, tough, and totally selfless. It’s possible that thousands of kids came of age alive because of her and her orphanage. “.

On the Potometan in State Beach, Bauzeman posed for a photo of Vital alongside a red-and-black Veve.

The memorial ceremony at the vineyard represented “the very subtle and almost unacknowledged but important connection that this community has to Haiti,” said Bauzeman.

“Yoland was a beautiful, hardworking, loving person. Most of the world despises her and her faith, and many people consider her a wicked witch. Perhaps the best thing we can do to honor her death is to start reconstructing the narrative,” Bausman continued.

He thought again when he first felt the earth tremble as he was staying in Haiti, and knew at that point what he would mean to his friends who lived near him.

He said it’s hard for some in America to imagine the trials people face in Haiti every day, but for fellow drummers and him, the earthquake and tragedy that followed put the issues into stark perspective.

“A tragedy like this helps us understand on a more human level — this person who worked so hard for her community, in a matter of seconds, she and all her followers and all the children in the orphanage perished,” said Bowsman.

He explained that although the ultimate goal of the Milocan project is to strengthen Haiti’s internal systems and allow for long-term sustainability, the people of Haiti need help at the moment. And that makes it even more obvious that we need to stay together, as human beings. And at certain times, it’s a good idea to send money to those who need it most.

He went on to say that if Vital and many other people whose homes collapsed during the earthquake had had sufficient means to pay for rebar in their homes, the outcome could have been different.

“This is true for everyone in Haiti, and it was also true in the 2010 earthquake. This speaks to a larger issue of social and economic stability for everyone in the community,” said Bausman.

Because Bausman is deeply connected within Haitian communities, he said, he’ll be able to receive any direct contributions and make sure the money goes where it needs to be.

At the drum party, Bauzeman was able to raise about $600 to direct reconstruction efforts in Haiti, and is currently working to raise more donations.

“It won’t be much. I’m not going to rebuild the school or the hospital, but I will work to connect with my people and figure out who needs what, and what makes sense for the community here to try and deal with,” said Bowsman. “Plans are already underway to do this really important work.”

Go to drumrol.org to make a donation to the Milokan Project.

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