Creolization in Caribbean Music - "Dutch Speaking"

 

Portfolio Chapter Three

It's good to be back, guys! In today's blog, I will continue writing about Caribbean music's Creolization. However, it will focus on Dutch-speaking countries found in chapter three of the Tour de Force.  Let's get into it.

 Located in The Caribbean Sea, approximately 37 miles north of Venezuela's coast, lies a beautiful Dutch Caribbean Island known for its coral reefs and beaches that are tucked away into caves called Curaçao. With that being said the Creolized music genre I will focus on is called Tambutronic. The Tour de force describes the genre as follows. During Roël Calister's move from Curaçao to the Netherlands, he combined Tambu ( which is a dance that refers to the music it accompanies, as well as a drum, going by the same name.), with electronic dance music. Thus, by combining traditional elements with modern sounds, Tambutronic brings the sounds of Curaçao's past into the present through the dance floor and airwaves.


Below is an artist, and performance that fits this musical style :

Now take a listen and see the group Kuenta perform a Tambutronic called "Lightswitch" 

This video was taken from "https://youtu.be/_eqPr69t3vg"

Before doing this blog I was a fan of this group however I had no idea what Tambutronic was. Hence, I chose this song, because after reading and researching about it I felt as though it's the perfect fit for that specific musical genre. Kuenta has created a brand new sound that draws inspiration from Traditional Afro Caribbean Music from Curaçao and European Dance. Through a clever combination of electronic sound samples, singing, and chanting, they managed to achieve an infectious rhythm. With that being said here is why. Tambu, music, possesses the feeling of a joyous celebration rhythm. When listening to this song you can hear the African influence within the song, as well as the electronic dance beats and rhythms. In addition, I also chose this song, because the group itself represents Tambutronic, before becoming Kuenta they were known as "The Kuenta I Tambu" which means in the language of Papiamentu "Stories and Drums".



Just a moment! Things get better! Aside from cultural aspects, creolization affects other aspects as well. This time we will be looking at the creolized Language found within the dutch region. The creole language Papiamentu, also known as Papiamento, was heavily influenced by Spanish while based on Portuguese. As early as the 21st century, it was spoken by approximately 250,000 people primarily on the Caribbean islands of Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire. Both Curaçao and Aruba use it as their official language. As a result of the Netherlands taking over Curacao from Spain, Papiamentu developed on the island.

Below is an image of the Papiamentu creole language, alphabet, and pronunciation

The photo was taken from "https://omniglot.com/writing/papiamento.php"



The Video below talks more about the creole Language Papiamentu

This video was taken from "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRzk0FBKIrg&t=58s"

The reason I chose this video is that it gives a better understanding of the Papiamento language. I say this because, it starts by talking about how languages, to be more specifically creole languages arise from various histories. Furthermore, it gives a better understanding of the comparison between the various languages that the Papiamento relates to, or takes influences from.

The photo was taken from "https://www.deviantart.com/toon1990/art/That-s-all-Folks-Space-Jam-736628789"



References:

Nanette de Jong. (2010). The Tambú of Curaçao: Historical Projections and the Ritual Map of Experience. Black Music Research Journal, 30(2), 197–214. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/blacmusiresej.30.2.0197

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2022, October 18). Curaçao. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Curacao

Hoetink, H. and Harris, . David Russell (2022, September 27). Netherlands Antilles. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Netherlands-Antilles

Papiamentu. (1975). Oceanic Linguistics Special Publications, 14, 147–209. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20006594

Habibe, Henry. "Papiamentu on Its Way/Papiamentu na Kaminda (1)." The Free Library 22 June 2007. 21 March 2023 https://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/print/cite.aspx?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefreelibrary.com%2FPapiamentu%2Bon%2BIts%2BWay%252FPapiamentu%2Bna%2BKaminda%2B(1).-a0179033484&author=Habibe,+Henry&title=Papiamentu+on+Its+Way/Papiamentu+na+Kaminda+(1).&artId=179033484&pubDate=2007-06-22























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