- Hi planetary citizens, brothers and sisters, welcome back to the Concert of Colors.

My name is Ismael Ahmed, director and curator of the Concert of Colors, and host of WDET's This Island Earth.

The Concert of Colors was created nearly three decades ago to celebrate the cultures, and struggles of Detroit's communities of color.

Today we come together to celebrate all our cultures, communities, religions, and genders.

And as in the past we hope to return to our live format where we can once again enjoy each other's company.

We would like to thank all of the staff, volunteers, and artists that have made this year's event possible, especially the Detroit Institute of Arts who have played such an important role, as well as Detroit Public Television, WTVS, and Detroit public radio, WDET.

For this year's schedule information and most importantly to support our efforts go to www.concertofcolors, one word, concertofcolors.com.

And now let's take a minute to thank our partners and sponsors.

- [Announcer] Support for this program was provided by, the Kresge Foundation, DTE, AARP, the Detroit Free Press, Midtown Inc, Skillman Foundation, and michigan.com.

And by these partners, Concert of Colors, Culture Source, Detroit Institute of Arts, Charles Wright Museum of African American History, the Arab American National Museum, Michigan Science Center, the University of Michigan Detroit, Detroit Historical Museum, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Public Television, city of Detroit department of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship, Science Gallery of Detroit, WDET 101.9 FM, the Scarab Club, Keegan Foundation, Access, Hellenic Museum of Michigan, College for Creative Studies, Marx Layne, New Detroit Inc, Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts, and Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

(upbeat music playing) Stay tuned for more music with our global and local fellow citizens, and masterful musicians for tonight's broadcast.

- Hello, I'm Neil Barclay, President and CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

It truly is an honor to be before you tonight to introduce an exceptional band, based out of Port-au-Prince Haiti.

The mizik rasin musical movement often speaks to traditional Vodou themes such as spying and betraying, feeling lost or estranged, the need for judgment and justice, or the urge to reconnect with an ancestral homeland.

Haitian roots music, as it is often referred to, is a musical style that began in Haiti in the 1970's when musicians began combining elements of traditional Haitian Vodou, ceremonial and folkloric music.

Having spent quite a bit of time in Louisiana, the birthplace of jazz, zydeco, Cajun, and swamp pop, I'll have to tell you more about that swamp pop at another time, but Louisiana is also home to a host of diverse music genres ranging from blues and country, to hip-hop, gospel, and of course rock and roll.

Rasin music, in its diverse form, is intended for dancing because it is so upbeat and rhythmic.

As you enjoy this eclectic mix of songs, I invite you to pay attention to the lyrics, which will be presented in Haitian, Creole, English, and you'll also see a bit of French thrown in the mix as only RAM can deliver.

As we settle in for an uplifting set of inspiring, meaningful and engaging songs, we say thank you to its founder, songwriter, and lead male vocalist, Richard A. Morse for bringing together this exceptional band.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring to you RAM.

(speaking in foreign language) - Here we go in Port-au-Prince Haiti, we are RAM, and we wanna give thanks to the Detroit Institute Art and the Concert of Colors.

And here we are doing what we do, making some music.

All right.

This is our 2020 carnival song.

(instrumental music playing) (Kongo Lazil O by RAM playing in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) (singing in foreign language) This song is called "Justiss".

(speaks in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) ♪ We signed the treaty of the human rights ♪ ♪ Before we were born ♪ We're fighting for our civil rights ♪ ♪ From the time the morning sun comes up ♪ ♪ Justice ♪ For all our friends and neighbors ♪ ♪ We want justice ♪ For people we don't even know ♪ ♪ Don't even know about justice ♪ ♪ Some people they don't even know ♪ ♪ Don't even know about justice ♪ (instrumental music playing) ♪ Respect to the father ♪ Honor to the son ♪ Rejoice in the spirit that makes us all one ♪ ♪ Working in the day time ♪ Worrying at night ♪ Living with the ancestors ♪ They want justice ♪ For all our friends and neighbors ♪ ♪ Justice ♪ For people we don't even know ♪ ♪ Don't even know about justice ♪ ♪ Some people they don't even know ♪ ♪ Don't even know about justice ♪ (instrumental music playing) ♪ Life is a war ♪ Friends go down fighting for freedom and independence ♪ ♪ Mother treats her son on the battle field ♪ ♪ Farther sees her son at the war trial ♪ ♪ Betrayal, if papa sees stabbing in the back ♪ ♪ Swim in the water ♪ Prepare for the shack attack ♪ Justice ♪ For all our friends and neighbors ♪ ♪ Justice ♪ For people we don't even know ♪ ♪ Don't even know about justice ♪ ♪ Some people they don't even know ♪ ♪ Don't even know about justice ♪ (instrumental music playing) ♪ Judge comes up, guilty ♪ Jury comes up, guilty ♪ Looking down on everyone, judgment day ♪ ♪ Were so guilty ♪ Justice ♪ For all our friends and neighbors ♪ ♪ Justice ♪ For people we don't even know ♪ ♪ Don't even know about justice, mother ♪ ♪ About justice, father ♪ About justice ♪ Woooo (instrumental music playing) (audience applauding) (instrumental music playing) (Kafou by RAM playing in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) (singing in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) (singing in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) (singing in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) (singing in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) (audience applauding) Love isn't easy.

(speaking in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) ♪ Love isn't easy ♪ That's what they told me when I was young ♪ ♪ Just keep your head down to the stone ♪ ♪ I didn't listen ♪ Waiting for my dreams to come along ♪ ♪ Now I'm standing helpless when she goes home ♪ ♪ Love isn't easy ♪ Ohhhhh no ♪ Love isn't easy ♪ Oh no no no ♪ Love isn't easy, Gede ♪ Gede zaryen woy woy ♪ Gede zaryen, after all ♪ Gede zaryen woy woy ♪ Gede zaryen, love isn't easy ♪ Gede zaryen woy woy ♪ Gede zaryen, after all ♪ Gede zaryen woy woy ♪ Gede zaryen ♪ Love isn't easy ♪ That's what I've learned since I was young ♪ ♪ Expect the unexpected to go wrong ♪ ♪ You'd better listen ♪ If you waiting for your dreams to come along ♪ ♪ Don't get caught standing helpless when she goes home ♪ ♪ Love isn't easy ♪ Ohhhhh no ♪ Love isn't easy ♪ Oh no no no ♪ Love isn't easy, Gede ♪ Gede zaryen woy woy ♪ Gede zaryen, after all ♪ Gede zaryen woy woy ♪ Gede zaryen, love isn't easy ♪ Gede zaryen woy woy ♪ Gede zaryen, after all ♪ Gede zaryen woy woy ♪ Gede zaryen, love isn't easy (instrumental music playing) ♪ Shoop shoop, love isn't easy ohhh ♪ ♪ Gede, Gede, Gede, Gede zaryen ♪ ♪ Shoop shoop, love isn't easy ohhh ♪ ♪ Gede, Gede, Gede, Gede zaryen ♪ ♪ Shoop shoop, love isn't easy ohhh ♪ ♪ Gede, Gede, Gede, I said Gede zaryen ♪ ♪ Shoop shoop, love isn't easy ohhh ♪ ♪ Shoop shoop, love isn't easy ohhh ♪ This song is called, "Ibo Lele", dreams come true.

(audience applauding) We had a friend Jonathan Demi came, down to Haiti to collect art, check things out, he did some documentaries, and he was doing a film called Philadelphia, and he put this song in the film, I think just 'cause of the positive message, dreams come true.

So that's it, be positive, and "Ibo Lele", dreams come true.

(instrumental music playing) ♪ Hey ♪ Hey Hey ♪ I could say anything at all ♪ Take it any way you want ♪ Our lines are down, down, down ♪ ♪ You could say anything at all ♪ ♪ You're only truing to get what you want ♪ ♪ I won't take a line down, no, no ♪ ♪ How much time is that gonna take ♪ ♪ How long will I have to wait ♪ Hoping that it's not too late ♪ ♪ To dreams come true (singing in foreign language) ♪ Come true (singing in foreign language) ♪ Dreams (singing in foreign language) ♪ Dreams come true (singing in foreign language) ♪ I don't wanna sound like I'm not involved ♪ ♪ Only because of this ugly scene ♪ ♪ And who what to sing ♪ Not me ♪ Never thought you fight it down to the wire ♪ ♪ Probably thinking why he's treating me so mean ♪ ♪ Aha-Aha ♪ How much time is it gonna take ♪ ♪ How long will I have to wait ♪ I'm hoping that it's not too late ♪ ♪ To dreams come true (singing in foreign language) ♪ Come true (singing in foreign language) ♪ Dreams (singing in foreign language) ♪ Dreams come true (singing in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) ♪ How much time is it gonna take ♪ ♪ How long will I have to wait ♪ I'm hoping that it's not too late ♪ ♪ To dreams come true (singing in foreign language) ♪ They come true (singing in foreign language) ♪ Dreams come true (singing in foreign language) ♪ They come true (singing in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) (singing in foreign language) Drummers are drumming, drummers are drumming.

Every year we do a carnival song sometimes we give them names sometimes we give them dates.

We've been around a long time.

I was a young kid when the band started, and now I got children in the band, my wife's in the band, I got musicians in the band.

There's William over here, there's William.

All right, that's Willie, no this is, that's not Willie, here's Willie over here.

This is Joziel.

Anouk that's our drum line.

And Max is part of the drum line, there's Max, give him a big round of applause.

We got the horns over here.

We got our handmade horns over here.

This is Danielle, all right, his is brother Manu.

Over here we have Roy.

Some people call him Maris but some people call them Roy, on the base.

This is Caesar, Caesar is the term we use for money in Haiti, Caesar, there's the money man.

This is Lunise, and we all love Lunise, and we follow her off the ends of the earth.

My name is Richard, and we are RAM, we are from Port-au-Prince Haiti.

We have been here for decades, right here Port-au-Prince Haiti.

And so we love y'all.

We had a wonderful time in Detroit.

We were there a couple years ago, and so we love it.

And this love we got is the music.

So this song is from 2014, our carnival song, and I hope you enjoyed it, hope you enjoyed being with us, and thanks for the invite.

(instrumental music playing) (singing in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) (singing in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) (singing in foreign language) (instrumental music playing) (singing in foreign language) Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Concert of Colors, we love you.

♪ A-a ♪ A-a ♪ A-a-a-a-a-a Thank you very much.

From Port-au-Prince Haiti we are RAM.

(Piano music playing)