Fet Milokan is a fully immersive experience. Ritual sounds and dances come from African nanchon ( spirit nations) by way of Haitian ancestral practices. The proceedings were driven by mother and daughter team Manbo Maude and Sosyete Nago. Twelve singers and dancers with three drummers moved through the ceremony. Call and response in their native tongue was fortified by the conga backdrop. The first section had the group singing in front of makeshift altar. A small table with a sequined wrap had candles and trinkets was oddly placed in front of the adult beverage table. I mean it would be all sorts of wrong for this crew to proselytize in front of a bottle of Captain Morgan. Seems the placement was intentional as one guy danced around with a handle of something. A crowd of about 60 sat in circular formation. The costumes were colorful with some women wearing headgear and chunky jewelry. They moved from the altar to a shiny monolith in the center of the circle. They danced slow, fast, with, and without each other all the while the tribal congas punctuating the performance. I take any opportunity to see different Yale buildings. Thankfully, I entered the Div School at the complete wrong end, enabling me to amble through a maze of offices, sitting rooms and libraries lavishly appointed with beautiful furniture and the occasional Steinway. At an intermission of sorts, the daughter explains the term Ayibobo which makes frequent appearances in the songs. “I see you, I appreciate you, and I acknowledge the spiritual forces at work in our lives”, seems like the perfect sentiment for this ceremony.
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