From the bars of the capital Port-au-Prince to Haiti's most remote villages and its worldwide diaspora, people listen and dance to the sensual rhythms of compas.

This musical source of pride among Haitians -- known as konpa or kompa in Creole -- is expected to be added by UNESCO to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list on Wednesday.

"Today, compas is the main artistic (and) musical representation of Haiti abroad," said Frantz Duval, the director of Ticket, the country's leading cultural magazine.

The anticipated listing is a boost of national pride for Haiti -- along with the Caribbean nation's recent qualification for the 2026 football World Cup -- and comes against a backdrop of entrenched poverty and instability driven by gang violence.

Compas "resists crises because everyone listen

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