Peasant - Haiti Music Video

Haitian-African folk singer, Altiery Dorival, is known as a twoubadou (troubadour) musician. He sings in a raspy tenor voice, accompanying himself on Haitian banjo, similar to the American banjo.

Dorival's image is as a man of the people, singing about the lives of Haiti's poor masses, living their lives of grinding poverty with grace and an unsinkable spirit. But he can also play the role of bon vivant, decked out in a white suit and Panama hat.

The twoubadou tradition, in which Altiery Dorival sings and plays, has existed in Haiti for over half a century. Brought to Haiti's shores from Cuba at the start of the 20th century, Haitians soon claimed the music as its own. Twoubadou music expresses the bitter sweetness of peasant life, rife with earthy and risqué themes. Twoubadou singers, such as Dorival, have been and still are the voice of the people.

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