Tambu with Vocal Percussion

The idea is that tambu parties were against all morality and decency and were frowned upon by the elite and the Catholic church.  So you had these parties in secret, of course.  One way to keep them hidden was to use vocal percussion---imitate the drumming with non-sense words and the like.  In one of Rene Rosalia's books I read that the Jewish community held such a cappella tambu dances fairly regularly at one point.  And they would invite beautiful black women to such dances . . .

One place were wealthy Jews lived was Scharloo, and they had these parties, called "bokan"---"boka" means "mouth" in Papiamento---in the woods behind Scharloo.  The Scharloo houses were enormous and gorgeous, like this one.

Dutch Apartheid?

I haven't researched this, but right now it looks to me like the Dutch have bought lots of property and converted it into bed-and-breakfasts, and other tourism-related businesses.  Then they bring in Dutch employees and interns, so much of the money generated by those tourism businesses doesn't circulate in the local economy.

Mind you, I look like a local.  I went to a beach the other day and the parking lady spoke Dutch to me and didn't speak the local language.  A Dutch family saw me and thought I was the taxidriver they had called. 

I can see how some speak of neo-colonialism.  I confess, though, that I haven't sought out "the other side" to get a different perspective.

And what I'm saying may be unrelated to the sticker, but it's just interesting to note.


The traffic sign means something along the lines of, "Watch for pedestrians."

Tambu: Music and Dance of Curacao

Editing isn't quite where I'd like it to be, but right now I don't have access to my preferred software.

Would you prefer subtitles, or voice-over?

Making Tambu: Music and Dance of Curacao

Cables:
- to charge my video camera
- to charge my back-up video camera
- to charge the laptop (a rental)
- to connect my video camera to the laptop
- to connect my back-up video camera to the laptop

Each one gets it's own baggie.

Pretty crazy, eh?

Kickstarter Rewards from Curacao

Thanks again to all the wonderful people who contributed to my Kickstarter project so that I could come Curacao and make a documentary about Tambu.  Some contributors were promised a postcard from Curacao, so yesterday I mailed 18 postcards! 

"Posterijen," written in Dutch on the red mailbox, means postal service.  The newer ones have a modern logo on them.

Curacao Snack: Pastechi

My favorite snack: pastechi.  It's beef, cheese, chicken, or tuna folded into (savory) dough and deep fried.

Update: I've just noticed that there's a fly in the photo.  Hahaha!  I'm glad I didn't notice that before I ate the pastechi!

Curacao's Solidarity with The Netherlands

The inscription on the side of the block the statues is standing on is a reference to The Netherlands (occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II) being thankful for the solidarity of the Netherlands Antilles (now former) Dutch colony.  The statue is just outside the governor's palace.

Curacao Government Official Interview

No, that's not me filming a government official downtown---but it could have been!  We saw the interview on TeleCuracao, one of the two local television stations, that evening.  The man in the dark suit is the TV journalist.

The bright yellow buildings you see in the background are government buildings.

Curacao Money

In the downtown area you can use dollars in many stores, but on the rest of the island you'll use Antillean Guilders, "florin" in Papiamento, the local language.  The larger round coins are 1 guilder and Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands is on one side.  Remember that Curacao is not an independent country and the highest official is the Dutch Queen.


I love the square coins, but apparently they are becoming a rarity.


In the downtown area I've seen signs that say US$1 = NAFL1.85 sometimes it's 2 to 1.

A Traditional Lunch of Curacao

Stewed beef with funchi (cornmeal, water, and salt), fried plantain, and veggies.  This particular restaurant also adds avocado, but that's not traditional.