Trinidad and Tobago is my homeland, and the culture is rich with stories. Some of those stories are, as my wonderful friend Gailos would say, pure chupidness! However, it is my culture and our culture, and as is the case with Calypso, we will adopt the same modus operandi here with a twist: "With our culture, all stories are told." You don't have to believe it, but we are just having a little fun and telling a story that lives in our culture. So here goes; this one is about the 'Callaloo Conspiracy.'
Marva was a typical young lady living her best life in sweet Trinidad and Tobago. It was during the period of the sixties when calypso music was the king of Carnival. Ole-talk and picong were the norm of the time, and getting things done often involved the help of the local obeah man. Marva was smart and cunning, and she had her sights set on a local player named Winston. He was the neighborhood handyman and was always fixing stuff in people's homes. Like the typical Trinidadian, he had an appetite for pelau, but his favorite was callaloo. Winston's stubbornness often drew comparisons to that of a mule, despite numerous women attempting to court him. That man would not settle down with a good woman. Marva decided that Winston would be hers and conspired to have him. As a matter of fact, she knew exactly how to get that stubborn mule of a man (hmm, something else could be good here...wishful thinking, she mused).
Aunt Pearl turned out to be her secret weapon. Who was Auntie Pearl? She was a local Obeah woman who had a reputation for crafting spells so powerful that other Obeah men were in awe of her incantations. Marva went to Auntie Pearl's hut and pushed in the broken wooden door. She bluntly blurted out, “I need him to be mine.” Marva had a look of determination that put a smile on Auntie Pearl's wrinkled face. Auntie Pearl reacted as if she knew Marva was coming to see her and handed Marva a small Milo can with some powder in it. “Sprinkle the powder into his callaloo,” she instructed. “Once he eats it, he’ll be yours—body, mind, and soul.”
Callaloo was Winston's weakness, and Marva was about to set her trap! Later that evening, Marva was cooking; the fragrance of callaloo was in the air, and Winston caught the scent. Winston approached and remarked, "buh a a neighbor, like yuh cooking something sweet, something that I like!" Marva saw him approaching and added the 'magic ingredient to the callaloo' so the fragrance in the air was good enough to make angels weep... Winston was in trouble, and he was unaware of the magic that would ensnare him. When Winston arrived, he couldn’t resist the aroma. She invited Winston into the kitchen, where he devoured the dish, licking his lips and asking for seconds.
The spell worked like magic. By the next morning, Winston had undergone a transformation; he was a changed man. He eagerly followed Marva around, anxious to satisfy her every whim. He became her “beh beh man,” devoted and doting, unable to say no to her requests. Marva basked in her victory, knowing she had turned the village’s most stubborn bachelor into her loyal companion—all thanks to a little Obeah and a pot of callaloo.
The End.
If you liked the story and want more, please leave a comment and mention the topic you would like me to explore. I have many friends who would be delighted to share creative ideas to help bring a story to life. Our focus extends beyond music, but we could potentially uncover a calypso to complement the post. So, until I hear from you, keep your manners in check and, above all, pay attention to what you eat!
Let us spread awareness of the Caribbean diaspora's culture.
Our goal is to promote Caribbean culture, musicians, and music producers. We are able to honor and promote the rich sounds and tales of the Caribbean thanks to your support. Together, we can ensure that this rich cultural legacy continues to reach a wider audience and foster creativity and connections. While you should always buy music for sale, you should avoid sharing promotional music because it denies songwriters, producers, and artists important revenue. Please be aware that all of our posts are available online through social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and SoundCloud. We recommend exploring your favorite content on FeedSpot/RSS Feed, Threads, Bluesky, and Twitter/X, including email subscriptions. Thank you in advance.
Production Notes/Music Credits:
Song Title: Obeah
Album: Once Upon a Time
Artist/Performed by: The Shadow
Written by: Winston Baily
@2004 Crossroads Records/VPAL Music
Origin: Trinidad, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
Genre: Shadow Music/Calypso
Released: 08/17/2004
We present the music here for your listening pleasure and promotional purposes only, adhering to the "Fair Use" Musical Content Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976. Sokah2Soca/Soca Music Blog © 1990 by Santiwah is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-SA/4.0/.
♫ Please click the music player button below to listen now (a small triangle in the music player/TV frame).
