ROCKPORT — Haitian musician BélO's visit to Midcoast Maine later this week will undoubtedly have an impact on many people, from school children and teenage and adult musicians to inmates at Maine State Prison in Warren, and for music lovers of all ages.

And that's exactly how BélO wants it. He is a man on a mission to spread the message that Haitians need to come together to find solutions, and to ensure the world does not forget about Haiti.

BélO is due to arrive in Camden Wednesday, Oct. 31, Halloween evening. At 9 a.m. the next day, Nov. 1, he and his band will perform an hour-long concert at the prison.

Both before and after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, BélO made music and performance powerful platforms for addressing issues and transforming opinion. Whether singing to children in orphanages or raising awareness of AIDS, BélO "knows exactly why he does what he does," as audiences across the U.S. have been experiencing this fall, thanks for his participation in Center Stage.

Center Stage is an initiative of the U.S. Dept. of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Its mission is to bring "compelling contemporary artists abroad to the U.S. to engage Americans in cultural diplomacy as a way to create opportunities for greater understanding," according to its website.

Center Stage tours provides opportunities for international performing artists to engage with diverse communities and youth; offers Americans the chance to grow in their understanding and appreciation of other nations; and provides for deeper engagement for both Americans and visiting artists, the latter who will return home with direct experiences to share in their own communities.

BélO's native town is Croix des Bouquet. In the summer, he spent time with his grandparents in a remote village, where he heard and experienced vodou, Haiti's unique mix of spiritual and musical traditions that permeates all aspects of rural life and helps support social cohesion. Described as an "outspoken groove innovator," BélO interweaves the Afro-Caribbean depths of Haitian tradition with a progressive voice for social and political transformation, according to a press release.

"With the love I have for my country, I can only give back," said BélO in the release. "I make music because I really want things to change, and I believe in the power of music to do that. For that reason, Center Stage is very important to me as an artist. Not only will I be able to learn more about the American culture, but I can also share my culture with a broader audience and show the good side of Haiti."

BélO performed at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in Washington D.C., Oct. 21, and held five concerts at three Massachusetts venues between Oct. 24 and Oct. 30.

Following his prison concert Thursday morning as part of Bay Chamber Concert's Community Engagement Program, BélO is hosting a free, community, unplugged "artist encounter" at 6:30 p.m. at Bay Chamber Music School in Rockport Village.

Nov. 2 he will perform at the Boothbay Opera House in Boothbay Harbor and then travel back north to Rockland, for a concert Saturday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. at the Strand Theatre. Tickets are available by calling 236-2823 or online at baychamberconcerts.org.

Nov. 4 and 5, BélO will perform in Portland at Portland Ovations with renowned Haitian storyteller and artist Charlot Lucien.

Lucien knows BélO through his songs, and said BélO is from the generation of artists that emerged after Lucien left Haiti.

"I left in 1981," he said, over the phone Oct. 26. "I know of BélO's reputation with social causes. I am not surprised that he is performing at the prison as part of his social engagement. Most artists in Haiti would have this interest, given conditions they observe on a regular basis and through extending solidarity in bad situations and conditions."

He said: "I see it whenever there is a sense of people suffering, people in need of some sort of redemption. It could be that there is something that happened in the past, in life and they are quote, 'paying the price,' or unjustly suffering from a situation unjustly, political or social. In both, one thinks of a concept of redemption."

Lucien said that for people who might have done something wrong, or are subject to wrongs in a situation, they are looking for hope and redemption, and longing for change and hope.

"They may benefit from the solidarity of someone coming from a country long-suffering from injustice, and they might be inspired," said Lucien.

Without knowing exactly what BélO's reasons are for choosing to perform for the prison inmates in Warren, Lucien said it has been his experience that the common themes of injustice and suffering are often why Haitians join together.

"It's that connection with somebody who came from a place where people are constantly coming from a tough place," said Lucien. "He hopes to connect people to the work he does."

That work, Lucien said, also includes BélO's work toward HIV AIDS education, and compassion.

"To his credit, BélO has actually ventured into singing for people who are HIV positive, to take a stand against the stigma against people with HIV AIDS," he said. "For BélO to take a stand, it's a clear indication of his character, because it could alienate an audience to do that, but it's so important to him to help these people and to help the audience too."

As a storyteller, Lucien also tries to connect people, to give them a perspective of Haiti that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn about.

Lucien's stories include social satirical observations of community life in Haiti. It is humor, he said, but it's also serious. Lucien also practices traditional Haitian folktales, which often include monsters, devils and magic realism of Haiti.

"The Haitian folktales I present to elementary and high school children has to do with reminiscences of Africa, and African culture that has been passed on from generation to generation," said Lucien. "There are plenty of lions and tigers and other animals not part of the real landscape of Haiti, but of Africa."

A lot of his stories are told in English, but nearly all of his recorded stories in Creole.

His performance in Portland with BélO will include a presentation showing historical connections that exist between Americans and Haitians that he has unearthed and will shine a light on. One of those connections includes the naming of a street in Haiti after Massachusetts political figure Charles Sumner. And in 1776, 1,500 Haitian troops traveled to fight alongside U.S. troops, said Lucien.

"It took me to come to the U.S. to realize the connections between the U.S. and Haiti," said Lucien. "Once we start understanding those historical bonds, we will realize we are not so foreign to each other and the spontaneous responses of humanity, and possibly the continuation of solidarity between the two countries, will continue because of that deep, historical connection we have. And it's something you won't find in the history books."

BélO also understands and feels the pull between the past and present, according to his biography. In a country where "music is everywhere," he is said to have grown up hearing Latin-inflected, high-energy Haitian konpa and the rising wave of vodou-rock bands like Boukman Eksperyans, as well as French pop and Jamaican music, from dancehall star Buju Banton to Bob Marley.

He also experienced another source of deep musical influence, according to his bio.

"I think the music I heard in the countryside when I used to go on vacation impacted me a lot," BélO said in the release. "If you were in my neighborhood with me as a child, you'd be between two different worlds. In town, we'd listen to pop and rock and reggae. On vacation, we'd listen to vodou music. We'd hear how people would make music while they worked. How the woman doing her washing at the river would just sing so naturally. She doesn't do it to express anything. She just sings. I learned a lot from that."

BélO's own music, which can leap from R&B grooves to clever jazz-inflected chords, and punchy brass to undulating bass, further evolved as he gained international acclaim in Europe and made friends in the Francophone African music scene in Paris. Whether jamming with members of Malian icon Salif Keita's band or recording with bass players from Benin or ngoni (West African lute) performers, BélO is said to feel the powerful connection between diverse African sounds and his own native blend.

"Haitian music has kept a lot of what roots music from Africa was 400 years ago," BélO said. "We're just one small island. But you can find rhythms from different countries from across the African continent. It makes our traditional music very rich."

Other rich traditions from Haiti permeate BélO's songs, including the expressiveness of the Kreyòl language and the warmth of Haitian hospitality, something both BélO and Lucien said one really has to experience firsthand to believe. 

"It's hard to describe how kind people in Haiti can be," BélO said. "They'll give you their shirt to wear and their bed to sleep on, no matter how poor they are."

This generosity of spirit powers BélO's songs and permeates his onstage presence. Whether playing on a porch or for presidents, it is said that BélO longs to engage his audience in ways that go beyond culture and language.

"That’s what music can do," said BélO.

Yet it is other dreams that BélO strives to spark in his listeners, according to his bio, dreams that insist that things can get better, even in a troubled, divided land.

"We're starting to have movement in Haiti," he said. "The youth are seeing that something can change. That it's not up to the president to stop violence or clean up the neighborhood. It's up to us," said BélO. "Artists are trying to give good positive messages now. I hope, if we keep on that in 10 or 20 years, we'll have change."

In his bio, BélO said he was "chosen to be an activist artist."

"It would be easier to earn more money or be more popular doing love songs. But I was born an activist musician. I live it, I feel it and I have a vision," said BélO.