Papaloko and Loray Mistik

May 18, 7pm

Tickets: $22 members / $25 nonmembers

Fogartyville Tickets Here

Join us for a Celebration of Haitian Flag Day featuring music, history and food from the island.

Since 1989 the “mystic thunder” of Loray Mistik has boomed all over south Florida. Led by Papaloko (Jude Thegenus), the self-crowned king of vodou pop, this band mixes traditional vodou rhythms with West African percussion, rock and roll, blues, and hip-hop. A painter, political commentator, and cultural promoter as well as band leader, Thegenus instituted the full-moon drumming circle on Miami Beach in 1992. His Papaloko persona joined the Drum Society to release the independently produced CD Full Moon Energy in 1996, a haunting assortment of West African rhythms from Yorubaland. With Loray Mistik Papaloko released Ti Moun Yo in 1998, a collection of politically inflected tunes addressing issues ranging from the plight of children in Haiti to police brutality against black men in the United States. The hardest-working band in the Haitian roots business, Loray Mistik is a festival favorite, playing at events from Metrozoo’s Feast with the Beasts to Calle Ocho to a roots fest in Trinidad.

Haitian Flag Day commemorates the country’s independence from the French. The flag was hoisted for the first time on this day in 1803, and the people came together to establish the country’s first republic. The flag is a symbol of patriotism and nationalism and was a beacon of hope in Haiti during the colonial era. This day represents liberation and embodies the cultural heritage and resilience of the Haitian people as they reclaimed their land from the hand of oppressors.