A Song in Haitian Creole Dedicated to their Igbo Ancestors

Ibo Granmoun O / The Ibos are their own authority
Granmoun O / Their own authority
Ibo Granmoun O / The Ibos are their own authority
Lakay Ibo / In the Land of Igbos (strkingly similar to 'ala nke Igbo' in Igbo language)
Ibo Granmoun O / The Ibos are their own authority



As Haiti continues to struggle to build a democracy, we poise to remember one root of our democracy. Although the word democracy is from Greece, the concept of democracy arose independently in other societies. It arose among the Ibo people of today’s Nigeria, where people’s right to have a voice in how they are ruled was respected. The ancient Ibo people of Nigeria had a democratic state. Unlike their neighbors, the Nago, the Guedevi, and the Mayi, who were ruled by a noble class, the Ibo people were not ruled by monarchs. They had no kings, nor queens. The Ibo people were their own authority. Here in the song, this concept is presented as Ibo Granmoun, meaning the Ibos take orders from no one.

The Ibo people were ruled by a parliament called Igwe. This body was comprised of elders nominated from each lakou, the Haitian term for an extended family compound. As a result of this ancient Ibo democratic government, today there is a popular expression among the Ibo people of modern day Nigeria: Ibo ama eze, which means the Ibos are their own authority. Across the Atlantic, Ibo ama eze has been translated into Creole as Ibo granmoun.

So intolerant were the Ibo people of taking orders, that Ibo victims of enslavement in Haiti and throughout the Americas had a higher suicide rate than other Africans. This high suicide rate is remembered in the Vodou expression Ibo touye tèt li. In the United States there is a region called Ibo Landing in Georgia which is thought to have been a place where a group of Ibo people committed suicide rather than be enslaved.

Among the many Ibo influences present in Haiti, perhaps the most enduring is the Ibo passion for self-determination. That passion helped to fuel our fore-parents efforts to combat slavery. As their descendants, we continue to honor the Ibo and all the other nations who fought to create a more democratic Haiti. No Africans in Haiti were willingly enslaved and people of all African nations rebelled against slavery. Nonetheless, because of the Ibo passion for democracy, they became the group most associated with rebellion against slavery. As such, in Haiti, when we honor the memory of Ibo Ancestors we commonly perform dance movements symbolic of their breaking the chains of enslavement. In Haiti, this rebellious way of dancing is called the Ibo dance. Other Ibo influences in Haitian culture are numerous and include the term sou for community banking and the use of M as a short form for mwen (me).

Although the Ibo people are remembered throughout Haiti, most of the world knows the Ibo people through the writings of the internationally acclaimed writer, the late, Chinua Achebe. His book, Things Fall Apart, is the most widely read modern African book in the world. His success is just another way of showing Ibo granmoun.

http://www.bookmanlit.com/ibogranmouno.html

The ibos see 2 have a very deep cultural history

Lalasticlala

....

Igbo on a Mossion to Occupy more Land

Funjosh:
Igbo on a Mossion to Occupy more Land

Yea, by strategic buying, we are buying back south west Nigeria (Lagos, Ogun state etc), an area originally belonging to the Igbos.

in your dream right. small time u wil collect oyo, osun, ondo and ekiti and the send the yoruba people out of nigeria. laughing.... thing

bigfrancis21:


Yea, by strategic buying, we are buying back south west Nigeria (Lagos, Ogun state etc), an area originally belonging to the Igbos.

SirShymexx:
Lol. I think I'm a tad bit bored - so I'll expend a few minutes on giving the resident illiterate bigot, who doubles as a mod in the culture section (the reason why most knowledgeable folks left this section for good) an history lesson. I see you have been creating gazillion of threads about Igbos in the new world, since the Yoruba one about Brazil made FP. It isn't competition, and definitely not a thing of pride, especially when Igbo culture never really survived in the new world. Let me help you a bit in ya vainglory before I progress: apart from VA, USA - a lot of Igbos were also shipped to Barbados (Bajans are mostly of Yoruba and Igbo descent), Jamaica (mostly Akan, Kongo, Mende, and Igbo - with sizable Yorubas from New Town), and Haiti (mostly Fon, Igbo, Kongo, and later Yoruba).

In Haiti, Fon, Kongo, and Yoruba cultures/traditions were more prominent among the people - and the fusion of the three created Haitian Vodou - the primary consciousness behind the Haitian revolution/democracy. It had absolutely nothing to do with anything Igbo.

History of Haitian Revolution: http://library.brown.edu/haitihistory/5.html

The Haitian Revolution and Vodou Religion: http://www.blogcitylights.com/2014/01/01/the-haitian-revolution-and-vodou-religion/

Stop messing up black history to please ya innate insecurities and fantasies - and don't hide my post.

That was unnecessary, you just made it a competition, you have the liberty to create your own thread. Nairaland is known for counter threads, spans through politics section. Promoting the Igbo culture or dominance is what he chose to do, you as a Yoruba is free to do yours.

I can't hate the west, I spent 16 years in Lagos, I cant hate the south, 6 years in working and schooling in Port Harcourt, likewise North where I worked in Federal College of Education Technical, Potiskum.

slimmy05:
Insecurity!

Lol. The insecure ones would be the ones who have been creating gazillion of threads after Yoruba and Brazil graced FP, no? Hoping and looking for something to hold on to, so as not to be left out.

Look at the man in the mirror and what can you see?

Just do ya nonsense without revisionism, vainglory, and false-representation - to suit ya fantasies. Heck, I can give more places to look, if you're desperate for Igbo contributions in the new world - that's how secure and generous I'm. But stop messing up black history.

Shalom!

IGBO rocks

I don't think sou is from Igbo but from the Yoruba word "esusu".We don't use the term "sou" but "sou sou" so the Yoruba origin seems more legit and it is still widely practiced in the Caribbean.

Here is a link explaining the Yoruba origin of it:http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2844040?uid=3739200&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21106267486871

SirShymexx:
Lol. I think I'm a tad bit bored - so I'll expend a few minutes on giving the resident illiterate bigot, who doubles as a mod in the culture section (the reason why most knowledgeable folks left this section for good) an history lesson. I see you have been creating gazillion of threads about Igbos in the new world, since the Yoruba one about Brazil made FP. It isn't competition, and definitely not a thing of pride, especially when Igbo culture never really survived in the new world. Let me help you a bit in ya vainglory before I progress: apart from VA, USA - a lot of Igbos were also shipped to Barbados (Bajans are mostly of Yoruba and Igbo descent), Jamaica (mostly Akan, Kongo, Mende, and Igbo - with sizable Yorubas from New Town), and Haiti (mostly Fon, Igbo, Kongo, and later Yoruba).

In Haiti, Fon, Kongo, and Yoruba cultures/traditions were more prominent among the people - and the fusion of the three created Haitian Vodou - the primary consciousness behind the Haitian revolution/democracy. It had absolutely nothing to do with anything Igbo.

History of Haitian Revolution: http://library.brown.edu/haitihistory/5.html


The Haitian Revolution and Vodou Religion: http://www.blogcitylights.com/2014/01/01/the-haitian-revolution-and-vodou-religion/

Stop messing up black history to please ya innate insecurities and fantasies - and don't hide my post.

Igbo people were also shipped to other Caribbean islands like Trinidad,St.Kitts and St.Lucia but for whatever reasons it seems like other groups like the Akan,Congo,Yoruba,Fon etc ethnic groups stand out and assimilate other ethnic groups.

quimicababes:


Igbo people were also shipped to other Caribbean islands like Trinidad,St.Kitts and St.Lucia but for whatever reasons it seems like other groups like the Akan,Congo,Yoruba,Fon etc ethnic groups stand out and assimilate other ethnic groups.

I think that's because the bulk of slaves from the other coasts started arriving towards the end of slavery. Perhaps it has to do with deep cultural spirituality/identity - or a mix of both.

Then you have South America where slaves were allowed to keep their culture/language/traditions intact.

----

Shymmexx,

Please don't derail or spam this thread.

If there's anyone displaying insecurity and feelings of being threatened on this thread, it is you. This thread is in no way a counter to any purported prior thread, it only publishes facts. This is the last time I'll warn you.

If you think this is some competition, you are free to create a thread of yours and post whatever in it.

It is clear that even living abroad doesn't bring out the decency and civility in certain people. No matter the environment they will still remain backwards in reasoning and behaviour.

Note: this thread is deicated to the Igbo ancestors of Haiti, just the same way the Haitians pay homage specifically to their Igbo ancestors. It claims in no way that Igbos were the sole people present in Haiti.

Anyway,

Videos on Ibo Gramoun


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWMn9D86ThE


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h65sHEFsLCg

Ibo Lele song

The song can be listened to here: http://koolwap.in/mp3_songs_resonance-lele-oh.html

The pronunciation of 'ibo' by the haitians (with falling tones) is exactly as it is pronounced natively amongst the Igbos!

Igbo lele, translates to 'Igbo people see see o'. A similar Igbo song to this is an Igbo song, Lele, by Resonance group.

Haitians are singing in Igbo! Awesome.

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Ibo Lele 00:00 / 07:18



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http://music.spirituallifemusic.net/album/ibo-lele




1.

Ibo Lele 07:18



2.

Tèt Kale Bobeats 05:07



3.

Ginen Tet Red 07:21



4.

Ibopella 03:35



5.

Ibo Degi 01:00


about
Ibo Lele, the principal Lwa (spirit) contributed to the pantheon of Haitian Vodou by the Ibo People, it is commonly referred to as Ibo Granmoun. Granmoun means an adult, an elder, or (in Vodou) one who possesses spiritual wisdom. The term Ibo can refer directly to the Ibo natioon, to Ibo Granmoun, or to the songs and dannces of the Ibo nation performed in Vodou ceremonies.
credits
released 13 September 2009

Recorded and Mixed at Funky SLice Studios, Brooklyn, NY
Recording and Mixing Engineers: Serge Tsai Meu Chong & Yoichi "Control" Watanabe.
Edited by Jephté Guillaume and Joaquin Joe Claussell.
Mastered by Tony Dawsey at Masterdisk
Art: Christine Nicolin

Musicians:
Jephté Guillaume: vocals, keys, bass, acoustic guitar, drum programming, Haitian percussions.
Daniel "Dadi" Beaubrun: vocals & Haitian percussions
Marjorie Beaubrun: vocals
Gashford Guillaume: vocals
Frederic "Fredo" Fargeas: keyboards lead
Robert "Jwif Ginen" Miller: flute
Gaston "Bonga" Jean Baptiste: Haitian drums

Executive producers: Stefan Prescott, Jephté Guillaume & Joaquin Claussell

First released 1999
SLM-377