Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Music
The Hermit of Cat Island,
by Peter F Anson, tells the fascinating story of
Father Jerome, the hermit architect who blessed Cat and Long Islands
with splendid churches. These miniature Gothic buildings are every-
where.
Whether it's hotel beach parties or the raw-sound-system dance clubs of Over-the-Hill,
Nassau's poorer quarter, the Bahamas reverberates to the soul-riveting sounds of calypso,
soca, reggae and its own distinctive music, which echoes African rhythms and synthesizes
Caribbean calypso, soca and English folk songs into its
goombay
beat.
GOOMBAY
Taking its name from an African word for 'rhythm',
goombay
derives its melody from a
guitar, piano or horn instrument accompanied by any combination of goatskin
goombay
drums, maracas, rhythm (or click) sticks, rattles, conch-shell horns, fifes and flutes, and
cowbells to add a uniquely Bahamian
kalik-kalik-kalik
sound. It's typified by a fast-paced,
sustained, infectious melody.
Goombay
is to the Bahamas what reggae is to Jamaica and is
most on display during Christmas and midsummer Junkanoo celebrations.
Goombay
draws on a heritage of folk music introduced by African slaves from North
America, Jamaica and other neighboring islands. Particularly important are the 'talking
drums,' once used to pass along information, and folk songs developed in the cane fields
to ease the backbreaking labor. Over generations, European elements, such as the French
quadrille introduced by planters, were absorbed as well, creating a unique style.
A CONSERVATIVE CULTURE
Despite their laid-back attitudes and friendliness, Bahamians as a group are
quite conservative.
The islands are traditionally hostile to homosexuality (see
Click here
)
, though
they do have a small, under-the-radar gay population, especially in Nassau and
Grand Bahama. The moralistic-minded Bahamas Plays and Films Control Board
decides which movies are 'decent' to be shown in the country. In 2006, it raised
quite a stink by banning the gay cowboy blockbuster Brokeback Mountain, an
action the
Nassau Guardian
decried as prejudiced and out-of-touch.
Feminism has made headway since women got the vote in 1962, though Ba-
hamian women still can't pass their citizenship to their children born overseas
(only men can do that), and a bill to outlaw marital rape failed to pass in 2009.
