Sounding Carnival

Carnival is the biggest musical event of the year in Haiti, in terms of musicians involved, crowds gathered, and money spent. It is also caught up in a complex web of political, economic, and social maneuverings, and thus creates an ideal space for venting against power alongside the various acts of play associated with the festival. This chapter introduces both carnival history in Haiti and the sonic environment that shapes this study, while establishing a conceptual frame for the book. This theoretical frame is built around two major avenues of inquiry that underline the entire text: a view of sounding as sonified mobility that can be studied through musical cartography, and a consideration of carnival and the carnivalesque in terms of vagabondage. Both avenues lead to broader discussions about performing citizenship and defending national sovereignty.