The Smithsonian Folkways compilation, Rhythms of Rapture: Sacred Musics of Haitian Vodou, brings together material from live Vodou ceremonies and juxtaposed with performances by well-known Haitian artists, such as Boukman Ekperyans, RaRa Machine, Boukan Ginen and RAM.
The collection was compiled and produced by Elizabeth McAlister. McAlister is a Professor of Religion at Wesleyan University. One of her areas of expertise is in Afro-Caribbean religions including Haitian Vodou. She’s written extensively about Haiti including Rara! Vodou, Power, and Performance in Haiti and Its Diaspora.
The compilation was produced in association with the museum exhibition and exhibition catalog, Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou, originally presented by the Fowler Museum of Cultural History at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1995.
Listen to samples of Rhythms of Rapture below.