Voukoum

The story so far.

Written and edited by Smokiller

Voukoum is a carnival band and cultural association started in 1988 by young people in the working-class neighbourhoods of Basse-Terre who wanted to reclaim their heritage. Its Creole name means uproar or racket, and its music rests mainly on the gwo siwo rhythm, with the tanbou ka drum at the centre. Beyond street parades, the movement researches traditional masks, builds new instruments modelled on the ka, runs percussion and mask-making workshops, and organises lewoz nights and torchlight marches. Singer Charlotte Mola, known as Aksidan, belonged to the group from the start and died in 2007; her recording Pwan telefon is credited as featuring Voukoum. A documentary about the band by François Perlier won a SACEM prize for music documentary in 2012. Deezer lists several releases under the name Voukoum Mouvman Kiltirèl Gwadloup dated 2025, among them Gro-Siwo Woulé and On Larèl, On Lèspri, the latter title echoing a phrase the group uses for its own style.