la priyè boukman

Djab la di lap manje m, se pa vre: Boukman's Prayer

Haitian spiritual: "Ogou oooo, wa dèzanj, djab la di la manje mwen se pa vre.
Se pa vre Timoun yo, se pa vre. Sa se blag Timoun yo, sa se jwet. Gen Bon Dye, geyen lè sen yo. Djab la di l ap manje nou, se pa vre....."

Prayer: Boukman’s Prayer

Boukman's Prayer shows basic Haitian wisdom: we are what we stand for,
what we fight for, what the Ancestors fought for. Boukman’s Prayer not
only outlines the sacred wisdom of Vodun, that we are our actions not words.
But sets the tone for why Haitians choose Africa over Europe in Haiti; why
Haitians chose Africa over Europe's philosophy of God.

Vodun confronted the European colonizers with a philosophy infinitely more
humanistic than theirs: rejecting slavery as immoral and evil, it chose freedom
for all human beings, morality, righteousness, social cohesion and co-existence
as the highest good on the planet. This is reflected in many ways, but no better
than in Boukman's prayer.

Boukman's Prayer
The God who created the earth, who created the sun that gives us light.
The God who holds up the ocean, who makes the thunder roar. Our God
who has ears to hear. You who are hidden in the clouds, who watch us from
where you are. You see all that the white has made us suffer. The white
man's god asks him to commit crimes. But the God within us wants to do good.
Our God, who is so good, so just, He orders us to avenge our wrongs. It's He
who will direct our arms and bring us the victory. It's He who will assist us.
We all should throw away the image of the white man's god who is so pitiless.
Listen to the voice for liberty that sings in all our hearts.

-- Boukman's Prayer at the Bwa Kayiman Vodun ceremony, the August 14, 1791 call to action that launched the Haitian Revolution, which started on August 22, 1791.
*************
Lapriyè Boukman (Kreyòl)

Bon Dje ki fè la tè. Ki fè soley ki klere nou anwo. Bon Dje ki soulve lanmè. Ki fè
gronde loray. Bon Dje nou ki gen zorey pou tande. Ou ki kache nan nyaj. Kap
gade nou kote ou ye la. Ou wè tout sa blan fè nou sibi. Dje blan yo mande krim.
Bon Dje ki nan nou an vle byen fè. Bon Dje nou an ki si bon, ki si jis, li òdone
vanjans. Se li kap kondui bra nou pou nou ranpòte la viktwa. Se li kap bannou
asistans. Nou tout fèt pou nou jete pòtre dje Blan yo ki swaf dlo lan zye. Koute
vwa la libète k ap chante lan kè nou.

---- Lapriyè Boukmann nan Bwa Kayiman