PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Compas, a beloved Haitian music and dance genre inspired by merengue and infused with percussion, made UNESCO’s cultural heritage list on Wednesday. The syncopated rhythm, ...

Attendees react as performers sing onstage during the 28th Annual Haitian Compas Festival at The NoMI Village celebrating Haitian Flag Day, in North Miami, Florida, on Saturday, May 16, 2026. PHOTO BY ...

Since 1955, Haiti has offered the world a uniquely danceable and infectiously sexy music known as compas, konpa, or kompa. The Kreyol language has been standardized in written form since only 1979, so ...

FILE - Andre "Dadou" Pasquet, left, sings and plays guitar with the Magnum compas band during a practice session in North Miami, Fla. Thursday, May 8, 2008. (AP Photo ...

UN Recognizes Compas, a Haitian Music and Dance Genre That Has Marked Generations and Brought Joy PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Compas, a beloved Haitian music and dance genre inspired by merengue and ...