Creolization in the English-Speaking Caribbean

Hey guys! Welcome back to another episode of "My Music Blog" with Ches, your absolute favorite blogger. Today we will be talking about some more Creolization in the Caribbean but in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Did you know that many of the dances we do, musical styles we use, the food we eat and even the languages we speak are products of Creolization? 

Take Jamaica for example, they speak patois. Patois is an English based creole language influenced by West African culture. 

This portion of the blog we will only look at Jamaica and St. Lucia, two of the many English-speaking Caribbean countries. 

Since I already started with Jamaica, let's continue...

Previously I mentioned the language Jamaicans speak, but did you know that "ackee and saltfish", the national dish of Jamaica is also a product of creolization?
Yes, I know, me either, I thought that was a full Jamaican thing.
But according to Sainsbury (n.d.) ackee is actually native to Ghana and the saltfish (codfish) originates in the seas of Northern Europe and Eastern Canada. 


Here's how the native dish looks, you can see it being sauteed with chillies, onions and tomatoes.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210315-ackee-and-saltfish-jamaicas-breakfast-of-champions#:~:text=Ackee%20is%20a%20voluptuous%2C%20red,Northern%20Europe%20and%20Eastern%20Canada.

And for the curious ones that may want to try it, here's a video with a step by step tutorial on how to make the dish:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VyvYZso-6Q


As mentioned earlier, some of the dances we do are products of Creolization. 

In St. Lucia, there is a native dance called "Kwadril" which according to 'Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbean" is a court dance influenced by African and indigenous elements and European contredanses. 

The "Quadrille"(english spelling) is a popular ballroom dance that was brought to the Caribbean by the Europeans. This dance style merged with African elements creating a new look/sound what is now known to St. Lucians as the "Kwadril". 

According to Helper (n.d.), Kwadril is performed mainly at individual parties at someone's home or at a rented hall, with artists paid to perform. They are held annually, except during Lent season. 


Attached below is a picture of a musical band performing at Kwadril:


Source: http://worldhitz4u.blogspot.com/2014/03/kwadril-music-of-saint-lucia.html


Attached below is a video of this Kwadril dance showing the unique sounds and dance with more information about this example of creolization.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiqQYkXbx8Q




References

Helper, M. A. (n.d.). Kwadril Music of Saint Lucia. http://worldhitz4u.blogspot.com/2014/03/kwadril-music-of-saint-lucia.html

Sainsbury, B. (n.d.). Ackee and saltfish: Jamaica’s breakfast of champions. BBC Travel. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210315-ackee-and-saltfish-jamaicas-breakfast-of-champions#:~:text=Ackee%20is%20a%20voluptuous%2C%20red,Northern%20Europe%20and%20Eastern%20Canada.

Wikipedia contributors. (2023, February 8). Jamaican Patois. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Patois#:~:text=Jamaican%20Patois%20(%2F%CB%88p%C3%A6,the%20West%20African%20Akan%20language.

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