Creolization in Caribbean Music-Intro

The theme I chose is creolization which is caused by intermingling of cultures and facilitated by migration. 

 The World Economic Forum estimates at least 272 million people migrate internationally. This is approximately 3.5 percent of the world’s population. There are several reasons why people migrate and the most significant in this case, covers the migration of Africans, Europeans, and Asians during the 1600s. during this era, slavery was prevalent hence facilitating the shipment of slaves from Africa, to the Americas. The Caribbean region is best known for the plethora of cultures. Most of the dynamism attributes to migration of people from across the globe into the region. Gangelhoff and LeGrand (2019) in their book, “Tour De Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbean” discuss the intermixing of cultures in the region giving birth to an all in one culture that incorporates elements of the distinct cultures,- especially in the field of music, and food. Gangelhoff and LeGrand (2019) define syncretism as the marrying of musical traditions (among others) into a modern, unique and native cultural product. Edward Brathwaite adds that creolization in the Caribbean is more of a social process that resulted from colonialism, slavery and migration. From how I see it, creolization is more of a process where the people in a particular region coexist and live in harmony despite their cultural differences -borrowing culture from each other to improve their overall way of life. Gangelhoff and LeGrand (2019) add that in the post colonial era, Europeans brought their dance and music forms to the Caribbean, - like the works of Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), who incorporated traditional music into his work. William Chapman Nyaho is another example where he incorporates African tunes to his piano music resulting in awareness of unknown works. Genres like Reggae are a good example of creolization where artists like Bob Marley are famously known for their contribution to the music.

Source: https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.NwF7nUjSlDJ9CRqyU4ZwqwHaE8?pid=ImgDet&rs=1

“One love” by Bob Marley is one of the widely known songs across the globe for its reggae melodies.

Creolization in the Caribbean also exist in other aspects such as food and religion. Vaudou religion in Haiti, Trinidad’s Shango, and Brazil’s Candomblé are examples of creole religions in the Caribbean and southern American region.

Video of the shango religion in Trinidad.