On Wednesday, December 10, 2025, UNESCO announced the addition of Compas music and dance (or Konpa, in Creole) to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
“(…)Compas combines African, European and Indigenous influences, and often touches on themes such as love, freedom, peace and resistance. (…)Compas is a symbol of resilience and a celebration of cultural heritage, social cohesion and shared identity”, writes UNESCO.
On January 23, 2024, Haiti’s Ministry of Culture and Communication announced that it was working on the preparation of a submission file for the application of the practice of Konpa music and dance on this famous list of intangible cultural heritage. From 2018, the island’s cultural services had undertaken inventory work that led to the registration of Konpa (music and dance) on Haiti’s National Register of Cultural and Intangible Heritage on October 21, 2019.
Already proud of this cultural creation, the Haitian people welcomed this news from UNESCO with immense satisfaction.
Konpa or Compas was founded in 1948 in Cap-Haïtien by the Orchestre Septentrional. In 1955, multi-instrumentalist (saxophone, guitar, banjo) Némours Jean-Baptiste (1818-1985), accompanied by his group Ansanm, launched “Konpa dirèk”, which became very popular and made so many generations sing and dance in Haiti, the Caribbean, and in the world. Some historic orchestras such as Tropicana, Schleu Schleu, Tabou Combo, Skah Shah, DP Express, Djet X, Bossa Combo, Koupé Kloué, Magnum Band, Volo Volo, Frères Déjean among others, do not hesitate to mention the name of the father of “Compas direct” in their songs in order to pay tribute to him. Young musicians and bands have not abandoned this national music, even though other rhythms have emerged in the country.
Konpa or Compas is now an artistic creation to be preserved.
