Incantations

Incantations
Opening Blessing with Boukman Eksperyans

Vodou tè a ee salou e! (Earth spirit, hail to you!) 
Vodou dlo a ee, salou e!(Spirit of Water, greetings to you!) 
Vodou lè a ee, salou e!(Spirit of the air, greetings to you!) 
Vodou zo a ee, salou e!(Spirit of Fire, greetings to you!)  

—Manzé & Lòlò Beaubrun  

In the Vodou tradition, the ritual of restoration represents a profound spiritual practice. It aims to restore balance and harmony among both individuals and communities. Vodou is shaped by the belief that discord can disrupt physical and mental well-being. In this sense, the pursuit of balance enables one to overcome the challenges of daily life and connect with the spiritual forces of the ancestors, who are believed to govern human existence. In this opening blessing, Vodou practitioners, musicians, and political activists Lòlò and Manzé Beaubrun invoke the loa (spirits) of earth, water, air, and fire, asking them for balance and for a renewed connection to the knowledge and powers that made the original gathering at Bwa Kayiman possible. 

Dutty Boukman, Cécile Fatiman, and their comrades also played a decisive role, as they led the troops into the mangrove forest where the ceremony took place in 1791. Boukman was captured shortly thereafter and subsequently murdered by French colonial troops. He is still regarded as a national hero in Haiti, which inspired the Beaubruns to name their band, founded in 1978, Boukman Eksperyans. As founding members of Boukman Eksperyans, Lòlò and Manzé Beaubrun pursue their revolutionary mission in both social and spiritual terms, supported in this endeavor by their son, Ted Beaubrun.

Part ofBwa Kayiman: Crossing the Mangrove.