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Last year, the tenth anniversary of the DC Caribbean Carnival, proved to be the best year for Haitian participation. WACAHAPA, Washington Carnival Haitian Participation, organized a concert by Koudjay, as well as a float for the parade that included the band. The dj’s from Columbia, Maryland, put on a show to remember on Georgia avenue. The avenue overflowed with the red and blue colors of the Haitian flag. Hundreds came from New York, Baltimore, and Virginia to participate in the carnival.

This time around, much was expected for the year before the bicentennial, but controversy started way before WACAHAPA decided on Dja Rara, a traditional band on foot, “bann a pye.” However, a carnival is a carnival, it’s all about having a good time, and most people did just that.

Controversy started in the Caribbean community when the organizers of the carnival decided to move the event from Georgia Avenue to downtown Washington, DC. According to DCCC, DC Caribbean Carnival organization, the move was necessary in order to accommodate the ever growing crowd and for safety issues. But, the move confused a lot of those who wanted to join the celebration. Georgia Avenue is lined with many Black businesses, African and Caribbean stores and restaurants, and the parade usually ended across from historical Howard University. The fact that WACAHAPA decided on Dja Rara, a rara style band from New York, to represent the community, added to the controversies.

“Bann a pye is part of our culture,” explained Jean-Claude Vivens, a member of WACAHAPA. The organization wanted to go back to Haitian roots and celebrate the birth of the nation in the most traditional way. Some in the community did not see it that way, and they have voiced their displeasure.

Since a party is party, those who chose to participate made the most out of it. WACAHAPA won best float and Dja Rara was awarded second prize as the best live band in the parade. This year’s crowd was much smaller, but no less energetic. The Trinidadians and the Guyanese were out in force as usual, wearing bright colorful costumes, dancing in the streets, jumping all over Constitution avenue, in sight of all the monuments and gray government buildings.

Not far behind, after all the blaring speakers and the big trucks, came the Haitians, a tight group, a different group. Then, again, we have always been different.

Dja Rara, a small group of men and women, armed with nothing but drums, bamboos, and “graj,” made their way down Constitution Avenue singing, “souke dada’w, souke dada’w, jan’w vle.” As spectators watched, not sure what to make of the scene, the Haitian crowd got into their rhythm, as they sang and danced, “grenn Zaboka sèvi zòrye…,” The band and the crowd gained momentum as they reached the judges' stage near the end of the parade route. “The Haitians put on a show in front of the judges,” said a Jamaican woman as she walked away at the end of the day.

Whether WACAHAPA made the right decisions or not, they made a tremendous effort to celebrate a country that is rich in culture. There are many ways that the 200th anniversary birth of Haiti can be celebrated, and whether we’ll all agree on the “right” way is an exercise in futility. Long ago, the slaves, the freed blacks, and the mulattos, put their differences aside long enough to celebrate the birth of a nation.

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© EchodHaiti.com, July 2003