Boukan Ginen (boo-kan ghee-nay) is a Haitian group that combines vodou ceremonial music and Afropop into a spiritual and highly political music. The title translates to “Our Dream.”

We instantly thought of Calef Brown. He was offered five type-free panels and instructed to make a “portfolio piece.” When the band’s management saw the final piece, they commented that Calef couldn’t draw. Current Haitian advertisements and graphics have a somewhat futuristic look and we suspected that was their basis for comparison. Since this album was marketed for world music fans (white, affluent, college-educated), that feedback was ultimately ignored.

I am sensitive to any accusations of cultural bias (treating the “other” as primitive). There was no such intent—only an exploration of vodou iconography (fire, snakes, etc.) using ceremonial flags and vèvès (cosmological drawings) as source material. We have been blessed with such a client as Xenophile. Their ability to print 4/4 booklets and inlays at 200 lines per inch enhanced the richness of this project.