This post was done for the WACK radio901fm.com 'Forum' when they had one!
We like to boast that Trinidad and Tobago is a cosmopolitan society where there is love and harmony. "We overs the race thing and all ah dat" can be heard from most Trinidadians. We love each other so much, “look at the amount ah lil Douglas running around De Land”. If that is the case, can someone please tell me about the transformation that takes place during the call of elections when the country becomes divided between political parties and race?My recollection tells me that the only party that was able to bridge that gap was the National Alliance for Reconstruction. In the end the same issues of race and a major Island upheaval brought on by the Jamaat al Muslimeen brought an end to the experiment.
We like to boast that Trinidad and Tobago is a cosmopolitan society where there is love and harmony. "We overs the race thing and all ah dat" can be heard from most Trinidadians. We love each other so much, “look at the amount ah lil Douglas running around De Land”. If that is the case, can someone please tell me about the transformation that takes place during the call of elections when the country becomes divided between political parties and race?My recollection tells me that the only party that was able to bridge that gap was the National Alliance for Reconstruction. In the end the same issues of race and a major Island upheaval brought on by the Jamaat al Muslimeen brought an end to the experiment.
Can someone tell me why Calypso (Kaiso)is the culture of Trinidad but some other types of music created by Trinidadians in Trinidad are not considered “we culture”. 'Ras Shorty I' who created Soca and Jamoo music was also the creator and innovator of the Chutney music. The Chutney art form is now dominated by the East Indian sector of the society however, it is not considered the ‘Culture of Trinidad’- what a crying shame! I had a very heated discussion about this subject with a colleague in the WACK radio 90.1 FM forum and he put up an excellent case showing why he does not consider Chutney the culture of Trinidad. One of the problems he noted was that he could not consider it his culture because he could not understand Hindi/Bhojpuri; he was not biased with his contribution considering he also put Parang in the same category. As you can tell it was not about race but about his inability to understand that which was said in the songs. When I reflect about this statement now I also think about the numerous complaints about the slave traders robbing the Africans and East Indians of their identity. Now we have adopted another man's way of thinking and consider the remnants of our enslaved and indentured forefathers something to be ashamed of and scorned to the point that we do not consider it our own - man if you don't know where you came from how then can you forge into the future with confidence?
When I reconsidered my colleague's argument and the totality of his discourse I must give him credit for his take on the subject. However, if Chutney and our Spanish version of caroling do not belong to us then who gets the credit? Chutney has Soca and Indian music as its parents. Soca is the 'soul of Calypso' (Indian and Calypso rythyms fused together, not US Pop music and Calypso that so many want you to believe) and Parang, as we know it, are unique to Trinidad. So the question must be asked here, whose culture is it? The fact that one sector of the society gravitates to Chutney more than the other does not mean that it should not be considered the culture of Trinidad and Tobago. It belongs to every citizen bearing that symbol of nationality (We are Trini). The same can be said for Parang and its seasonal stature. Northern and deep South Trinidad do not belong to people of African ancestry just as Central Trinidad does not belong to people of East Indian ancestry. We have a cosmopolitan society that has been influenced by many factors. We can also ask this question: is the Carnival of Trinidad unique? Yuh bet yuh bottom dollar that it is, but it was the French who introduced it to the Island so does it belong to France? Hell no, I don’t think so pardna! We molded it into something that is unique and distinctly Trinidadian in nature.
We can look at the Culture of Trinidad from different angles and because of our ancestry we may have a slanted view of what our culture is and is not. I grew up in Arima and, as a result, my experiences were different from someone growing up in Central Trinidad or from the deep Southern region. The 'Douglas' (mixture of African and Indian) constantly ask, "which side do I belong to?" If it is the African side then then does it mean that this person should gravitate to Calypso and the steel band that was invented by people of African ancestry? On the flip side should they choose the Indian side should they choose Chutney music? I choose not to bury my head in the sand and confuse my short time on this earth. As far as I am concerned the music is unique and no one else can lay claim to it. Soca revolutionized Calypso and now the Chutney beat is in everything. Chutney was the creation of one Ras Shorty I, a person of African ancestry! I say shame on those who believe that Chutney music is for radio Masala or Bacchanal radio. One cannot be a music culture fanatic and choose sides. We need to embrace it all because it was created by and belongs to Trinis!
It is the music of Trinidad, if you can’t understand Hindi or Spanish no big deal, I am absolutely certain that you will shake and move to the beat. That is the real deal, that is why it is our Culture and unique to us – Trini 2D Marrow music. Times change and people also change so too will the emphasis on certain aspects of our culture. Today Calypso has taken a back seat to Soca and because of this the talent pool for calypso has diminished but not so for the rest of the Caribbean region - they have embraced calypso and many Trinis