Bwa Kayiman—Lakouzémi

In Haitian Creole, the word lakou refers not only to a piece of land or a small farm, but also to the place where all important aspects of community life take place. A lakou encompasses coexistence and long-term livelihood on a small, shared piece of land. Often, matriarchal and intergenerational family structures can be found there, in which community and spirituality are intertwined with everyday practices.


Through elements such as the lakou, the Haitian people emphasize their sovereignty, which is expressed in the invention of radically new social institutions and relationships that reject colonial systems and customs in order to build communities based on mutuality, mutual care, rootedness, and respect for plurality.

Following the successful editions of the previous two years, Bwa Kayiman will return in 2025 with different approaches that reflect on how sovereignty is practiced, asserted, and defended. Highlights of the three-day program include culinary offerings under the title Patois Gathering from Asia to the Caribbean and a concert evening.


On August 1, Toronto-based chef Craig Wong will revive his Jamaican and Chinese family roots as part of the Tongue and Throat Memories program, evoking a cuisine of conviviality that emerged through Asian migration to the Caribbean.


On August 2, Jowee Omicil and Boukman Eksperyans will perform in a double concert that will conclude both the HKW's Sonic Pluriverse Festival and the second day of Bwa Kayiman. In his album Spiritual Healing: Bwa Kayiman Freedom Suite (2023), Omicil tells the story of rebellion and freedom. Boukman Eksperyans combine mizik rasin (roots music) with many other Afro-diasporic rhythms and have long inspired spiritual, political, and social resistance in Haiti.

With contributions from:

Alada, Awam Amkpa, Laura Beaubrun, Ken Bugul, Boukman Eksperyans, Julien Creuzet, Black Pearl de Almeida Lima, Jean D'Amérique, Silvia Garde, Séléna Hollemaert-Awadé, Yann-Olivier Kersaint, Makeda Monnet, Ésery Mondésir, Cyrielle Ndjiki, Jowee Omicil, Ana Pi, Évelyne Trouillot, Lyonel Trouillot, Yeser Sipriano, Slim Soledad, Wole Soyinka, Chef Craig Wong, and others

Bwa Kayiman—Lakouzémi

On sovereignty as a relational practice

Performances, dance, rituals, lectures, discussions, poetry, music, food, films, installations

August 1–3, 2025