PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — 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, created in the 1950s, wafts from bars, bedrooms and businesses across Haiti, lifting spirits and providing solace from the country’s grinding poverty and soaring gang violence.

On the night of Nov. 18, when Haiti classified for the World Cup for the first time since 1974, compas music accompanied a cheering crowd jogging through the streets of Port-au-Prince and dancing in their homes.

Dominique Dupuy, Haiti’s former foreign affairs minister, called the inclusion of compas on UNESCO’s list “an ode to joy.”

“In these dark times our country is experiencing, we continue to usher in this new

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