The Ark Of The Diaspora: Safe Harbour - El Callao

Calypso de El Callao

During the 19th century, Trinidadians and other Caribbean islanders began migration to Venezuela, particularly to the city of El Callao to work in the gold mines. They brought the music of Calypso with them, which later became very popular in the city. The folk music is a mixture of Venezuelan and Caribbean genres and is sung in Spanish and/or Caribbean English. It is closely associated with the Carnival festival, a tradition also brought by the West Indian people.

Performance
On the carnival months of February and March, Calypso is performed with competitions, where the winners are crowned Calypso King and Queen. Calypso or as the town's people call it "Calipso" is one of the most likeable cultural tradition that the city is well known for by the rest of the country. Popular instruments used in the performance of the music are the drums, cuatro, maracas, guitar, bandolin, violin and the steel drum. SOURCE

Listening to the song below, "Calipso del Callao" performed by the Venezuelan group Serenata Guayanesa, I am hearing our music. If I had better knowledge of our older songs, I would try to identify from exactly which songs they have transported English lyrics into their music. Look out for the clues, the words, the rhythms, the patois brought from T&T and the Caribbean to Venezuela. I am definitely hearing, "Zandolee find yuh hole!!" Look at us in their Carnival! Wow! This impresses me more than our Carnival diaspora in English speaking countries. I have always said that Venezuelans have more in common with us than we know and this music is proof because despite a difference in language they have incorporated more easily the gifts brought to them by the Caribbean immigrants.

When are we going to complete the circle and start inviting our offshoots at the Central and South American nodes of our diaspora to visit and delight the source?


Uploaded by yelindagirl
CALIPSO DEL CALLAO
By Serenata Guayanesa

El Callao tonight, Tumeremo tomorrow night [Way yo!]
El Callao tonight, Tumeremo tomorrow night [Way yo!]
El Callao tonight, Tumeremo tomorrow night [Way yo!]
El Callao tonight, Guasipati tomorrow night [Callao tonight] [Repeat]

Note: Not at all sure about what I am hearing from here on. Spanish? Patois? English? Please feel free to submit your suggestions, thoughts.

Fire 'round de ---, Fire 'round de ---
Fire 'round de --- [mamá], fire 'round de ----
Fire 'round de --- [caca mué], fire 'round de ---
Fire 'round de --- [mani má], fire 'round de ---
Way! Zandolee find your hole.... [Repeat]

Tolé, tolé tolé tolé. Ambakaila!
Tolé, tolé tolé tolé. Ambakaila!
Mamí, mamami mamí, mamami mamí. Ambakaila!
Mamí, mamami mamí, mamami mamí. Ambakaila!
Uway. Baile calypso. Ambakaila!
Uway. Baile caca mué. Ambakaila!
Mamí, mamami mamí, mamami mamí. Ambakaila!

Tolé, tolé. Bequeré. Tolé tolé. Bequeré.
Tolé tundimaina. El Callao. Tolé Tundimaina. El Callao.
Tolé tolé. Bequeré. Tolé tundimaina. El Callao.
Tolé tundimaina. El Callao. Tolé tundimaina. El Callao.
Tolé tolé. Bequeré. Tolé tolé. Bequeré.
Tole tundimaina. El Callao. Tolé Tundimaina. El Callao...

Even Juan Luis Guerra, a musician/performer from the Dominican Republic agrees that El Callao has something special - women who are hot, have plenty tempo and are down.


WOMAN DEL CALLAO
By Juan Luis Guerra

Spoken words: Oh, woman, loving you is like feeling the pleasure in my blood...
Chorus:
Tiene mucho hot, tiene mucho tempo
Y tiene mucho down, woman del Callao!
Tiene mucho hot, tiene mucho tempo
Y tiene mucho down, woman del Callao, del Callao...

Y quisiera vivir con ella junto al Callao
Y bailar calypso en la arena tomando sol
Y soñar sin tiempo ni pena, dancing in this paradise
Everytime, ayayayay, ayayayay. Wohhhhh

Chorus:
Tiene mucho hot(oh, a la la la...) Tiene mucho tempo
Y tiene mucho down, woman del Callao, del Callao...

Estas cosas too lovely man, down going to el Callao
All the woman dancing calypso into their blood
And to put up we like to live and dancing in this paradise
Everytime, ayayayay, ayayayay. Wohhhhh

Chorus:
Tiene mucho hot, tiene mucho tempo
Y tiene mucho down, woman del Callao, del Callao...
Tiene mucho hot (oh, a la la la...), tiene mucho tempo
Y tiene mucho down, woman del Callao, del Callao...

Ay, ayayayayayayay....

Y quisiera vivir con ella junto al Callao
Y bailar calypso en la arena tomando sol
Y soñar sin tiempo ni pena, dancing in this paradise
Everytime, ayayayay, ayayayay. Wohhhhh!

Chorus:
Tiene mucho hot (oh, a la la la...), tiene mucho tempo
Y tiene mucho down, woman del Callao, del Callao...

Tiene mucho hot
Mucho tempo
Woman pa-ti, woman pa-llá
Woman de la(d)o, apambichao

Tiene mucho hot, tiene mucho tempo
Eyyyyyyy, que tiene mucho down, woman del Callao, del Callao

Tiene mucho hot, Wohhhhh, tiene mucho tempo
Que a Venezuela le canto su woman del Callao, del Callao

------ I watchin' you
My woman, my woman del Callao, del Callao.

Tiene mucho hot, tiene mucho tempo...

RELATED POST: The Ark Of The Diaspora: El Callao Carnaval
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"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.

Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.

Mweh ka allay!
Guanaguanare