The Foundation Sant D’A Jakmel of Haiti will hold its first ever free International Music Festival, Mizik Jakmel, May 25-27. Sure, you have to be in Haiti to see it, but it just might be worth the trip. Headlining the event will be Grammy-award winning Reggae stars, Stephen and Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, who just made a stop in San Luis Obispo for a performance on April 20 to promote Stephen Marley’s new album, Mind Control. More than twenty-four international musicians and bands including Les Nubians, The Reggae Cowboys and Emeline Michel will be exploring and celebrating the worlds of hip hop, Konpa, reggae, R&B, jazz and blues music.
The festival will also try to break a Guinness World Record for largest drumming ensemble, bringing together an estimated 10,000 drummers to smash the previous record that was set in India in 2006 with 7,951 people drumming continuously for five minutes.
The festival’s director, Jakmel local Patrick Boucard, said that the purpose of the festival is to empower Haitians through the music and art of their culture, and to reconnect Haiti to the rest of the world by projecting a positive image of the country. Along with these goals, proceeds from the sales of VIP tickets will go towards several local charities, including a music school, a foundation for street children, and a center for the handicapped.