Haiti, Singing for the Land, Sea, and Sky: Cultivating Ecological Metaphysics and Environmental Awareness through Music
Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: Vodou drummer Jean-Michel Yamba echoes a refrain that has been reverberating through Haitian society for some time: the Earth is dangerously out of balance, and the world’s people are the cause. Scientific studies support this uneasy realization: the 2018 Global Climate Risk Index ranks Haiti as the single most vulnerable country to the effects of extreme weather events related to climate change. This article reflects on how humanity’s responsibility toward the environment has been deeply encoded as traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) within Vodou spiritual ecology, which is expressed through songs and interactions with the lwa (spirits).
Author: Rebecca Dirksen
Institution: Indiana University
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
SDGs: Climate action, Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2942666259