Creolization in English speaking countries

Three English speaking countries that I will focus on that was covered in chapter 1 of  Tour de Force are The Bahamas, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Bahamas 

"Sun, sand and sea", is what the Bahamas is known for. But what if I tell you that we are more than that?  The country is kept alive by the vibrancy of its music, dance, celebrations, cuisine and fervor for life. The archipelago welcomes millions of tourists from every corner of the earth year over year, yet continues to closely preserve its one-of-a-kind culture. Islands with so many great features like; location, climate and not to mention its natural resources. Due to the Bahamas' geographical location, Nassau became a local harbor (Ganglehoff & Legrand, 2020). However the Bahamas has many other jewels to offer. After slavery was abolished, many of the free Africans settled in The Bahamas where culture would be exchanged. The Bahamas is a blend of its African heritage and British structure inherited from its history as a British colony. The Bahamas’ population is of West African descent, whose ancestors were forced into slavery (Schmitt) . Bahamians throughout time have taken the suffering of their ancestors and have injected the raw emotion into their beloved cultural institutions. One combined art form that mirrors this passion fervently is Bahamian music and dance. Goombay is a traditional Bahamian music style, which was derived from Calypso (which was covered in; intro to Creolization in Caribbean music) that was adopted from African culture. Goombay is the official music and dance of The Bahamas. With a tropical calypso-style melody, Goombay is a musical method of storytelling and dancing often performed by The Bahamas’ honored rake and scrape bands. Goombay is also a type of drum. These drums were made out of pork barrels and goatskin. The drums are very important, giving goombay music a distinct sound. The music of the Bahamas is a reflection of generations of both hardship and celebration, mixing and fine-tuning the sounds of Reggae, Calypso, Soca, Merengue, and Goombay to form one unique tropical sound.

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5FxzVIEME4

Charlie Adamson is a successful Bahamian musician who is known for his goombay track list,  I chose this video because its a great representation of goombay music, along with highlighting one of the greatest song masters in his era. 

Retrieved from: Fans Beta https://musicfans.stackexchange.com/questions/5911/when-did-the-goombay-genre-start

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Jamaica 

Like most countries, Jamaica formed a musical genre. Jamaica's informative services records that, Mento is the original popular music form in Jamaica, developing during the plantation period and is considered the common ancestors of many Jamaican styles (Ganglehoff & Legrand, 2020). Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. It was born out of the fusion of African and British influences.  Its performance mode, rhythmic impulse, as well as its call and response type of singing is African in origin, while the scale patterns, harmonic concepts, and verse and chorus song types are British. Mento typically features acoustic instruments, such as acoustic guitar, banjo, hand drums, and the rhumba box (a large mbira in the shape of a box that can be sat on while played). The rhumba box carries the bass part of the music. Mento is even said to be regarded in some circles as equivalent to calypso. 

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DWrAu0MMpk

This is an example of Jamaican mento performed by Island Champions in 1958. I chose this video so readers may have a audio example of mento. I also couldn't believe that there was music being produced in the 50's with so much soul. The relaxing rhythm made it a bonus.

Retrieved from : Irie Blue Hole in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. (photo via GummyBone/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

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Trinidad and Tobago

Creolization is not only found in our every day music but also many other things such as cuisines, our lifestyles and the way we talk. Ganglehoff & Legrand states that due to the centuries of migration, Trinidad's population was affected. Some examples of  migration, are the French farmers around the time of the French revolution along with Hattians after their revolution. The influences of these French settlers are presented in the creole dialect. Trinidadian Creole is a creole language commonly spoken throughout the island of Trinidad in Trinidad and Tobago. It is distinct from Tobagonian Creole. English is the country's official language, but the main spoken languages are Trinidadian English Creole and Tobagonian English Creole. Both creoles contain elements from a variety of African languages. Trinidadian English Creole is also influenced by French, French Creole, Trinidadian Hindustani, Tamil, other South Asian languages, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese.

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtYYQD2JT00&t=30s

Here's a video of carnival being celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago. This upbeat video displays how carnival is celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago and can be compared in different countries on how it varies and the significance. Even for persons who are not apart of the Caribbean, it's engaging and makes you feel apart of the Caribbean. While being engaging, it shows energy, love, purity, inspiration and culture in life

Retrieved from: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trinidad-a-caribbean-vacation-with-an-indian-flavor-11579282755

References

(2017). [Blog]. https://musicfans.stackexchange.com/questions/5911/when-did-the-goombay-genre-start.

(2021). [Image]. https://www.travelpulse.com/destinations/caribbean/jamaica.html.

Adamson, C. (1957). Charlie Adamson Sings Goombay! The Folk Songs Of The Bahamas [Youtube].

Champion, i. (1958). JAMAICAN MENTO - Island Champions (1958) [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DWrAu0MMpk.

Gangelhoff, C., & Legrand, C. (2020). Tour de force. Sound Caribbean; 1st edition.

Schmitt, D. (2021). V/A (distro) - Goombay: Music From Bahamas (1951 - 59) | Light In The Attic Records. Light In The Attic Records. Retrieved from https://lightintheattic.net/releases/3150-goombay-music-from-bahamas-1951-59.

Trinidad & Tobago Carnival 2020 Aftermovie || FEEL THE LOVE. (2020). [Image]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtYYQD2JT00&t=30s.

Trinidad: A Caribbean Vacation With an Indian Flavor. (2020). [Image]. https://www.wsj.com/articles/trinidad-a-caribbean-vacation-with-an-indian-flavor-11579282755.

Trinidadian Creole - Wikipedia. En.wikipedia.org. (2021). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidadian_Creole..