NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — The Haitian Compas Festival brought thousands to South Florida during Haitian Heritage Month, celebrating Haitian culture through music, food and community.
Organizers said this year’s event carried added significance as the Haitian community continues facing challenges.
“If you are in Miami in May, you’re going to see red and blue no matter where you go. I think that’s the pride of the Haitian people,” said Mia Lopez with public relations for the Haitian Compas Festival.
“There’s a lot of things happening in the Haitian community. A lot of people are kind of down. This brings everybody together for the right reasons,” Lopez said.
Those reasons included the food, pride surrounding the Haitian flag and the music keeping Haitian culture alive.
“This year we’re excited to have the renaissance band like Kogji that’s bringing that old feeling, that drum of traditional Haitian music, but we have new artists here,” said Annave Noel, talent acquisition for the Haitian Compas Festival.
Noel is helping bring new artists to the festival and hopes to continue evolving the event to connect with younger Haitian Americans.
“My dad is one of the founders of the festival and I told him something that is missing in our festival is our representation of Haitian Americans and making them feel like they can fit in coming to a festival where mostly Creole -- that is all you hear,” Noel said. “It can be a little intimidating on how I can be Haitian enough in my space.”
This year, local artists mixed Haitian Kreyol and English while taking center stage, creating music meant to reach a broader audience.
“Burger Marty brings how he’s so proud to show his Haitian culture and still make it Americanized,” Noel said.
“It’s limitless. I feel like we’re not bound to just the Caribbean because so many of us are acclimating to the culture here especially with what’s going on back at home,” she added.
The festival featured more than a dozen artists and continued at NoMi Village through 11 p.m. Saturday.
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