Bann Djab

40 Bann Djab

Many people don’t understand the devil. They think the devil kills people. Untrue. If you don’t bother the devil, he won’t eat you. You have to respect everything that exists in this world. Even a tree that your father’s planted – if you cut it down you also destroy the spirits, the children of the land. You don’t know who’s in the tree. It’s the mystical forces that keep the country alive. Our independence comes from the spirits. Our culture is Vodou and the drum. Bann Djab comes from a mystical power. It’s a secret society. It was the man called Charles who created it, but it was an old band they wrote about in books. When Charles died in 1988 I took over. This is how we mask. Red and black dresses, the devil’s devotion, all covered with paillettes – big sequins – to create flashes of light, to see when the devil’s dancing. The paillettes are the band’s image, the band’s signal – a mirror that captures the image of the band. Whoever passes by sees themselves in this mirror. And the horns are a guide, to show you the devil’s real. The big horn is Wa Djab (‘Devil King’), the one who leads Bann Djab – without him, the band cannot walk. He carries an axe, not to hit people, but to show that the devil is manifesting. And Wa Kalòt (‘Slap King’), is the one with all the mirrors. I want to make Bann Djab better – I don’t want it to be looked down upon. But I lack the funds to do it the way I want to do it – to do something beautiful you need money. These days we use the same disguises every year. And kids for the band – if I had the money I would use adults instead. Each time you underpay the people working with you, you minimise your culture. And if you minimise your culture, it’ll fade away. Frantzso Jean (2019/2020)