Sokah2Soca

Image: HARTS frontline Carnival 2019 © Typeokay.com

Sokah2Soca proudly showcases the music and culture of Trinidad and Tobago, placing a special emphasis on the music. We aim to highlight other cultural aspects of the Twin Island Republic, though there is much to consider. Our focus has been on presenting the latest musical offerings in soca and calypso. That said, we believe we can offer valuable insights into the music of the culture as a foundation for those eager to learn about our rich cultural heritage. Our objective for this menu link, "Carnival," is to begin presenting the essential elements that constitute our carnival culture.

We found an excellent place to start. Discover Trinidad & Tobago has an excellent article, titled "Trinidad Carnival: the birth and evolution." In that article, we found a starting point. We have an excerpt of that article from which we will be posting "key elements of Trinidad and Tobago's carnival.

As mentioned above, we have a starting point, but that doesn't mean we plan to strictly follow the points listed below. As an example, our first link will be about Stick-Fighting, which is also called Bois in French. We also plan to feature Moko Jumbies and Limbo in this series of posts. If you have any ideas, send them to sokah2soca@gmail.com.

Trinidad Carnival: the key elements:

Calypso: indigenous Trinidadian music with roots in West African songs of praise and mockery, strongly influenced by calinda (stick-fighting) chants and Lavways that Chantuelles sang to lead Carnival bands. Originally sung in Patois (a local French derivative)
Kambule or Canboulay Riots: significant uprising in 1881 against the British governor who attempted to ban the Carnival festivities
Limbo: sacred folk dance indigenous to Trinidad, once performed at wakes in African communities; the lower the dancer could go, the higher the spirit of the dead could ascend
Ole mas: traditional Carnival characters like the ominous Midnight Robber, talkative Pierrot Granade, and gender-bending Dames Lorraines; best viewed at traditional character parades and Viey La Cou (two Sundays before Carnival)
Playing mas: masquerading, usually in costume with a band. While some bands sell out starting in September, last-minute returns are still possible. Of course, you can make your own costume (or band) and don’t need a costume to band-hop
Pretty mas: mass-produced costumes, usually skimpy bikinis, feathers, and beads
Road March: song played most often by bands at judging points.
Soca: fast-paced, high-energy offspring of calypso, pioneered by Ras Shorty I (Garfield Blackman) in the 70s, fusing African and Indian sounds. Trinidad’s pop music has absorbed R&B, dancehall, hip-hop, reggaeton, house music and other influences.
Steelpan: developed in Laventille communities in the 1930s, the only non-electrical instrument invented in the 20th century. Began as single “ping pongs” hung around the neck playing just a few notes, now covering a full western scale in bands topping 100 players.

Copyright © MEP Publishers | Trinidad Carnival: the birth & evolution | Discover Trinidad & Tobago https://www.discovertnt.com/articles/Trinidad/The-Birth-Evolution-of-Trinidad-Carnival/109/3/32/#ixzz7ziyuvAFJ

Follow Discover Trinidad & Tobago: @meppublishers on Twitter | discovertnt on Facebook.

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