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Reading Time 5 mins
August 31, 2022
Trinidad and Tobago became an independent nation on 8/31/1962; I was eight years old. As I look at some of the cultural changes that have happened and are happening in the region, I am fascinated by the idea that pre-1962 T&T artistic expressions, statements, and development showed more of an independent outlook than some of the current manifestations of “our culture.”
Several amazing things happened when T&T was a British colony and after. Pre-Independence Calypso came about primarily as a way for the masses, especially those of African descent, to voice their protest against social, racial, and political injustices in that era. Its current primary use as a form of entertainment is a post-independence transition in a country that has the highest per capita incomes in the Caribbean and one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere. In 1962 the Road March was Lord Blakie’s “Maria:” a titillating beat about a Hispanic woman named Maria (undoubtedly from neighboring Venezuela) and Blakie’s love affair with this Venezuelan woman. The 2021 online “road march” was Farmer Nappy’s “Backyard Jam.” It is undoubtedly a musical success, video included. However, there is little social or political commentary.
This ‘soca chutney’ music simply recalled a bit of nostalgia for what I remember as “my” culture growing up. I selfishly choose to recollect “my culture” from a point standing on the river bank rather than in a boat moving down river, experiencing the ever-moving river’s new twists, turns, and waterfalls. Another song, “Real Unity” came to my attention through an internet radio station called Aracataca. Very intriguing because there is a municipality in South America by that name. Ironic that a man with a British accent highlighted which Caribbean songs reflect current social and cultural trends in Trinbago while broadcasting from a station named after a South American locality.
Fast Forward to T&T and ‘Chutney Soca’
Born in Maraval, I would like to share a little about my name, Donawa; it combines Don (Spanish) and Awa (‘Carib’). The Awa’s originated in South America and migrated east, making the Caribbean their home. My earlier Carib ancestors intermarried with the Ashanti and fought the European invaders in St. Vincent. After a truce, many were shipped to Central America in the 1700s. They came to be known as the Garifuna. Having traceable Carib, Ashanti, Indian (Gujarati), and Scottish origins, my view of Chutney Soca may be different than many people viewing the cultural “traditions” of our country of birth.
As a distant ancestor of the region’s indigenous people, it would not be misplaced for me to expect or hope that I would not go the way of the Celtics of Britain, our former colonizer. Is it too much to ask that a Carib man at least be recognized in calypsos? For example, Black Stalin’s 1979 hit The Caribbean Man makes no reference to the Indigenous People.
Wikipedia, citing CIA The World Factbook (7 June 2022)
To emphasize the point about the interweaving of many cultural traditions into the Trini fabric, I will look at just one of the cultural contributors to our unique melting pot that is routinely excluded in our artistic expressions. Let’s look at the last names of four members of the current Trinidad & Tobago soccer team Garcia, Gonzales, Molino, and Gomez, none of whom look “Spanish” or “Venezuelan”; their parents intermarried. My mother’s sister married a man whose last name was Gonzales. These citizens have blended into the culture and are no longer seen as “Venezuelans.” We had friends named Hospedales who intermarried with people of both African and Indian descent. They are now Trinbagonians like everybody else. Yet statistics on Venezuelans now only track recent immigrants or asylum seekers. And, many songs that attempt to capture our multicultural society do not acknowledge Trinbagonians of Venezuelan and other ‘minority’ backgrounds as essential to the national discourse.
To make the point about our citizens of Venezuelan background not mentioned in either “hit,” let us introduce the word “Parang.” Parang has a history dating back to the late eighteenth century when cocoa farmers from our neighbor Venezuela were brought to T&T to help develop plantations here. These Venezuelan Spanish-speaking farmers settled in communities like Lopinot, Arima, Santa Cruz, and Moruga. They brought “Parang,” a significant contribution to our culture. Where are they in our songs and cultural expressions that champion multiculturalism?
‘The creation of steelband and calypso as an expression of our experience was a triumph of the human spirit over adversity and a real-life example of using bitter lemons to make delicious lemonade. We found a way to express ourselves with a new type of song and a new type of instrument. A leap in our cultural evolution that takes some countries and cultures centuries. We can embrace this triumph and celebrate it because it is ours.’
I’m not sure I see the ‘Chutney Soca’ mega-hit ‘Real Unity’ the same way, regardless of the song’s timely and appropriate name and subject matter and the implication or suggestion of cultural inclusivity. The integrated fabric of multiculturalism seems to be lacking a few threads. 
‘The absence of color and texture in some of our songs is more obvious when contrasted with our carnival costumes.Our melodies should have as many colors as the threads in our carnival costumes, accurately reflecting that our assorted distinctiveness is our strength.’ We should see this range of ethnic and cultural diversity expressed more in Kaiso, Calypso, Soca, and Chutney Soca.
The music and the context of where I was hearing it broadcast triggered memories of British history learned decades ago. The island called Britain, a part of the British Isles, has very little about it that an ancient or, shall we say, indigenous native would recognize as their culture. Several tribes of Celtic origin lived in a land they called Pretani. Starting around the first century, the Romans invaded. They stayed for almost 400 years. Then the Germanic tribes, the Angles, and the Saxons invaded (hence the later term for the ‘British,’ “Anglo-Saxon.”) Then, in the 11th century, the Normans invaded (Battle of Hastings, 1066) and defeated the British king. The Normans were Vikings who had settled in the north of France, and as they inter-married with the French, they were neither French nor Viking, hence Norman.
In any case, the modern-day “British” person doesn’t call himself a Celt he calls himself a Briton or Anglo-Saxon, and he/she doesn’t call their country Pretani they call it Britain. They are primarily a blend of Celts, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Vikings, and Normans (French Vikings, colonizers of Normandy in France). The countries usually included with Britain as a part of the UK, namely Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, have steadfastly refused to be included as a part of Britain and maintain many of their Celtic roots, even continuing to speak the Gaelic language in some regions. We do not need to lose significant aspects of our cultural tradition as the British have. We can maintain our cultural independence.
The Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Jewish, Lebanese, Venezuelan, and other minorities in our island nation have the same rights on paper. However, as minority segments in our multicultural society, being acknowledged as part of the cultural melting pot would go a long way towards living up to our “all ah we is one” creed.
I’m thinking forward to the next Kaiso, Calypso, Soca, or Chutney Soca “hit.” Notwithstanding the fantastic musical talent of the writers, composers, and singers of these vibrant musical forms, will it reflect our unique melting pot, or will it be more of the same? Will it reflect the importance of each individual regardless of the size of his/her cultural group, or will it simply be politically correct by catering to the larger groups–like the politicians do—while being socially and culturally incorrect by ignoring true cultural inclusivity?
Ulric Donawa is a retired banker who has filled his spare time with volunteer opportunities. He has served on the Board of Laurel Regional Hospital and Prince George’s Financial Services Corporation and currently serves on the Board of Rehabilitation Systems Inc.