Haitian culture is woven into American culture, but is unacknowledged for a number of reasons including fear of Black revolution, says musician Leyla McCalla.
We hear about Haitian disasters and tragedy in news coverage, she says, but not the history of enslaved Haitians freeing their nation -- or the influence of Haitian song, rhythms and narrative traditions that rooted here.
McCalla will share her unique blend of original songs, historic narrative, and traditional Haitian and Creole repertoire as she accompanies herself on cello, banjo and guitar at 7:30 pm on Thursday, Oct 21 at First Baptist Church of Kalamazoo. She spoke to Cara Lieurance about her most recent solo album, Capitalist Blues, and her mission to open eyes and ears to voices of the past and present. Her solo concert is part of the Connecting Chords Music Festival.
