Papers by Meagan Sylvester
Perspectivasafro, Jun 4, 2024
This paper will focus on the demonstration of Black joy as Black music, specifically Calypso and ... more This paper will focus on the demonstration of Black joy as Black music, specifically Calypso and Soca music from Trinidad and Tobago and the Dutch Caribbean. In particular, emphasis will be placed on two case studies from the Dutch islands of Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten and that of the most southerly isle of the Caribbean, Trinidad, focusing on the ways in which radio and television producers and personalites conjured up joy and nostalgia in their re-enactment of Carnival festivities during the pandemic.
Black Music Research Journal, 2016
Ragga soca, a music indigenous to the twin island Caribbean nation Trinidad and Tobago, incorpora... more Ragga soca, a music indigenous to the twin island Caribbean nation Trinidad and Tobago, incorporates the freestyle aesthetics of hip-hop lyricists, the political critique and social commentary of calypso, the “chant down Babylon” demeanor and stagecraft of reggae and dancehall performers, and the spontaneous delivery of “biting” lyrics popular among Trinidadian extempo artists, another subgenre of calyspo. Typically, it can be loosely described as a fusion of soca and indigenous Jamaican musical forms, namely Jamaican dancehall and, to a lesser extent, reggae beats and soca rhythms. From my knowledge of the music industry in Trinidad, having been a member of several music networks during the years 2006–16, I posit that Bunji Garlin, who began his public career in 1999, is the singular most successful and widely known ragga soca artist performing the genre today. Bunji Garlin’s ragga soca “fire” songs produced between 2004 and 2011 make use of the “fire bun dem” theme. In these, we see Garlin’s direct use of biblical verses drawn from Revelation 21:8 (which describes how hellfire will be meted out to unrepentant wrongdoers). Further, his lyrics seek to adress the punishment to be delivered to those individuals involved in profane acts against society. In 2012, I began a project to review and analyze the lyrics of his songs in an attempt to chart to what extent his ragga soca lyrics have retained any of the political and social commentary “bite” and “sting” of its progenitor,
Raussert W, Campbell NA, Sylvester M, Tomlinson L. Popular music flows . In: Raussert W, Anatol GL... more Raussert W, Campbell NA, Sylvester M, Tomlinson L. Popular music flows . In: Raussert W, Anatol GL, Thies S, Corona Berkin S, Lozano JC, eds. The Routledge Handbook to the Culture and Media of the Americas. 1st Edition. London/New York: Routledge; 2020: 182-192
OLD CONCEPTS, NEW THEORIES? CARIBBEAN RADICAL THOUGHT AT THE CROSSROADS. Meagan Avion Sylvester C... more OLD CONCEPTS, NEW THEORIES? CARIBBEAN RADICAL THOUGHT AT THE CROSSROADS. Meagan Avion Sylvester Commencing from the early independence period in the Anglophone Caribbean, there emerged a few theorists who prized development ideals and not the mirrorimage concept of modernisation as the goal. Following on this belief these scholars embarked on a tradition of radical scholarship, which provided strident protest to colonially-minded asphyxia in both its content and character Alternative paths to development have been tried with mixed results. Some have failed, while others have succeeded with limited potency. There are myriad reasons for either the strengths or weaknesses of radical attempts at change and to a limited extent these are explored in this work. In this study, the period under review is 1960-2002 and the investigation will be undertaken at three levels. Primarily, a descriptive historical overview of past radical development thinking in the English-speaking Caribbean will b...
Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry, 2020
In Trinidad, the historical, socio-political and economic conditions which gave rise to the birth... more In Trinidad, the historical, socio-political and economic conditions which gave rise to the birth of Calypso are usually highlighted, in the existing literature, however, there is very little information regarding the oppositional lyrics of current Soca songs. By concentrating on the praxis of cultural resistance exemplified in the narratives of selected Carnival, Calypso and Soca songs, this article expands the existing discourse. Trinidad’s Carnival, post-emancipation, has important societal roles and functions. This article demonstrates that Carnival functions as performative rituals of resistance, individual and community awakening and identity development. Carnival’s established roles, functions and rituals are deliberately designed to disrupt the status quo.
Black Music Research Journal, 2016
Ragga soca, a music indigenous to the twin island Caribbean nation Trinidad and Tobago, incorpora... more Ragga soca, a music indigenous to the twin island Caribbean nation Trinidad and Tobago, incorporates the freestyle aesthetics of hip-hop lyricists, the political critique and social commentary of calypso, the “chant down Babylon” demeanor and stagecraft of reggae and dancehall performers, and the spontaneous delivery of “biting” lyrics popular among Trinidadian extempo artists, another subgenre of calyspo. Typically, it can be loosely described as a fusion of soca and indigenous Jamaican musical forms, namely Jamaican dancehall and, to a lesser extent, reggae beats and soca rhythms. From my knowledge of the music industry in Trinidad, having been a member of several music networks during the years 2006–16, I posit that Bunji Garlin, who began his public career in 1999, is the singular most successful and widely known ragga soca artist performing the genre today. Bunji Garlin’s ragga soca “fire” songs produced between 2004 and 2011 make use of the “fire bun dem” theme. In these, we see Garlin’s direct use of biblical verses drawn from Revelation 21:8 (which describes how hellfire will be meted out to unrepentant wrongdoers). Further, his lyrics seek to adress the punishment to be delivered to those individuals involved in profane acts against society. In 2012, I began a project to review and analyze the lyrics of his songs in an attempt to chart to what extent his ragga soca lyrics have retained any of the political and social commentary “bite” and “sting” of its progenitor,
Arsc Journal, Sep 22, 2013
Trinidad & Tobago's rich musical history dates back to the early 1900s with its first and... more Trinidad & Tobago's rich musical history dates back to the early 1900s with its first and major recordings having been documented during the period 1900s-1950s. As such, this article focuses on un-packing the history of the indigenous musics of Trinidad & Tobago (T&T). Highlights are provided of several firsts in the music--the first recordings, first live performances, first music to be published, and first music recordings on film. Folk songs were the first known types of music noted in the era under review. Prior to 1912 various bands were part of the local scene performing live at many different venues and for wide and varying audiences. However, it was in 1912 that documentation of the music recording history really began. As such, in that year a Trinidadian band known as "Lovey's Band," led by George Bailey, went to New York to record for both Victor and Columbia. [Lovey's String Band, 1890-1920: http://youtu.be/YGovSJkxzPw] Following on in this vein, two years later Victor representatives visited Trinidad to record calypso and a variety of other local musical styles. The songs which were recorded in that early session by the Victor Company were calypsos sung by Jules Sims, with bamboo accompaniment, and by Julian Whiterose, with string instrument accompaniment. These were the first vocal recordings to be documented. [First vocal recording, "Native Trinidad Kalenda," Julian Whiterose and Jules Sims, 1914: http://youtu. be/2NwC7kqYzhg Calypsos are folk songs which foretell the social, political and economic happenings of Trinidadian society. It can be described as an indigenous folk music whose roots stem from the plantation era when complaints, disunity and disloyalty was frowned upon. As such slaves developed a system of communication amongst themselves where they sang of their woes and their causes in hidden verses or double entendre, which sought to satirise the actions of their slave masters as well as create the great divide in communication between the slaves and the plantation owners. First Recordings in Calypso Calypso music has had a long history dating back to the mid-1800s and as such has enjoyed the importance of place and space to be representative of national, social and political realities within the Trinbagonian music landscape. In the 1920s many recordings were made in New York. Those made within this period were instrumentals by Lovey (George Bailey) and Lionel Belasco. Belasco-lead string bands often included his cousin Cyril Monrose on violin and friend Gerald Clark on guitar or quarto. This exposure of Trinidadian musicians to the New York music scene gave credence to this local indigenous music as having world-wide appeal. [Lionel Belaso, "Juliano," 1933: http://youtu.be/RTZy0OMwLHM] During the period 1910-1920s recordings of calypso were made in New York for both the Caribbean and Latin American markets, but by the 1930s there was a renewed focus on recording calypso for international markets. Atilla the Hun, The Roaring Lion, Lord Executor, The Growling Tiger and other known local calypsonians began to travel to New York to exploit their careers. [Guests of Rudy Vallee (Lion & Atilla) 1934: http:// youtu.be/shGJOUc_H58] By 1939, New York became a regular playground for night life and calypso was often the music of choice amongst the many varied popular musics of the time. At that time blues, jazz and swing were the popular music of the era, particularly in New York, Chicago and New Orleans. For African Americans, blues and jazz were the musical forms of social commentary in the U.S. and this island music--calypso--added yet another "voice" to the musical options on offer. Based on the new audience for this "world music," the content and the lyrics began to reflect the signs of the times and lifestyles in New York, adhering to the role of calypso to act as a voice of social commentary. Much of the latter is actualised in the songs of the 'Calypso King of New York' in his 1940 album Harlem Seen Through Calypso Eyes. …
Advances in Education in Diverse Communities: Research, Policy and Praxis
This chapter will discuss the relationship between globalisation and higher education, focussing ... more This chapter will discuss the relationship between globalisation and higher education, focussing specifically on the University of the West Indies (UWI) as its case study. This work will examine how closely the present policy objectives of the UWI are linked to the changing structures within higher education systems in the global arena. An argument is being made that currently, there are two overarching conditions which are transforming the structures and practices of higher education, namely globalisation through its policy affiliate, neo-liberalism and the incorporation of new information and communication technologies into the knowledge activities of research, publication and pedagogy. Through globalisation, higher education and knowledge production are thwarted as the neo-liberal positivist discourse champions the market-centric approach and higher education becomes embroiled in mass consumption and commodification. The globalisation of higher education therefore encompasses such issues as life-long learning, web-based delivery and distance education. However, this piece will not speak about the issues of technology and its impact on higher education, but address the impact of neo-liberalism on higher education.
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Papers by Meagan Sylvester