Awakening Spaces: French Caribbean Popular Songs, Music, and CultureThe fast-paced zouk of Kassav', the romantic biguine of Malavoi, the jazz of Fal Frett, the ballads of Mona, and reggae of Kali and Pôglo are all part of the burgeoning popular music scene in the French Caribbean. In this lively book, Brenda F. Berrian chronicles the rise of this music, which has captivated the minds and bodies of the Francophone world and elsewhere. Based on personal interviews and discussions of song texts, Berrian shows how these musicians express their feelings about current and past events, about themselves, their islands, and the French. Through their lyrical themes, these songs create metaphorical "spaces" that evoke narratives of desire, exile, subversion, and Creole identity and experiences. Berrian opens up these spaces to reveal how the artists not only engage their listeners and effect social change, but also empower and identify themselves. She also explores the music as it relates to the art of drumming, and to genres such as African American and Latin jazz and reggae. With Awakening Spaces, Berrian adds fresh insight into the historical struggles and arts of the French Caribbean. |
Contents
Introduction I | 1 |
Malavois Nostalgic Songs of Childhood | 11 |
Creole Zouk and Identity in Kassavs Optimistic Songs | 37 |
Womens Subversive Songs | 69 |
Cultural Politics and Black Resistance as Sites of Struggle | 106 |
Public Performance Marketing Devices and Audience | 146 |
The Recontextualization of Urban Music | 173 |
The Ambivalence | 206 |
Epilogue | 233 |
Notes | 239 |
257 | |
Other editions - View all
Awakening Spaces: French Caribbean Popular Songs, Music, and Culture Brenda F. Berrian Limited preview - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
Aimé Césaire album audience band band's bèl bèlè biguine Black byen Canonge Caribbean music Carnival compact disc composed concert Cultier cultural dance Debs Décimus Déclic Desvarieux Dézormo Difé doudou drum drummer Éloi's épi Eugène Mona exile Fanm Flériag Fort-de-France France France-Antilles France-Antilles Magazine Freddie Marshall French Caribbean Galva Guadeloupe Guadeloupean Guédon gwo ka Hibiscus Interview islands Jacob Desvarieux jazz Jean-Claude Naimro Jocelyne Béroard Kali Kassav Kwak lanmou lavi Lefel lévé listening live loups Malavoi mandé Marthély Martinican Martinique mazurka menm Mona's moun musicians mwen Naimro nèg Palaviré palé Paris Patrick Saint Éloi performance play Pôglo Pointe-à-Pitre political popular radio Ralph Thamar Rastafarian record reggae rhythms rivé sèl sing singer Siwo social solo soloist song songwriters studio Tambou tchè té ké television tion tout Trébeau Ursull Vamur Vélo vini voice woman women Zouk Machine