“As Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the rest of the Caribbean, reach out for Carnival and, with it, Calypso, the greatest expert in the Caribbean is Zeno Obi Constance. He made me understand the role of the Chinese, the great as well as the ‘Chins’ and ‘Tongs.'”
By Tony Deyal
When I was growing up in Trinidad, there were many people in houses, groups, towns, and cities. In that time, there were people from various races or, as Trinis call it, “white, black and khaki.” The English Whites were the bosses and called the shots, especially the sugar cain.
Most of us spoke different words and languages. The Chinese, who first came to Trinidad from October 12, 1806, long before I was born (1945), came to the country to make some money, not much but enough to survive.
What brought them in, and kept them here was that there were no more “slaves” in the Caribbean. Slaver was ended by “An Act for the Abolition of Slavery throughout the British Colonies.” Worse, the former slaves were not willing to accept working for food and cents. Obviously, the English bosses had to get cheap workers. They had already screwed the “slaves” they had brought to toil on sugar plantations. They brought in the Chinese to Trinidad on October 12, 1806, to get work. They also got the Indians to work in the cane fields for next to nothing. So, there they were, the races with the bosses English, Africans, Chinese and Indians in Trinidad with racial mixes and worse, tongues, including the Chinese and rumours of their gangs and “tongs.”
Interestingly, from early on the Chinese in Trinidad initially got involved in shops, laundries and “Way-Way,” which is supposed to be misspelling of “Whe-Whe,” an Old Chines game of “Chinapoo” which was and is based on intuition, dreams, and superstition. But then, a Chinese Father and a French and African mother had a child in Trinidad in 1885. He was Chen but became “Jones” as a Christian Roman Catholic. Even though he was a scientist, his first job was creating and selling fireworks.
Next thing everybody knew, he was part of the Carnival’s “Dragon Band” with cow horns and rope tails. As if that was not enough, he became a calypsonian with the name “Cromwell the Lord Protector” but known as “Chinee Patrick” and wrote as well as sing a calypso “Sans humanité.” It went, “Class legislation is the order of the land/ We have been ruled with an iron hand/ We have been ruled with an iron bank/ Britain boasts of democracy/ Brotherly love and fraternity/ But British colonies have been ruled in perpetual misery/ Sans humanité.”
Well, it seems that Patrick opened himself and his other “Chinees,” to get what they should have expected. The early bird was the Mighty “Colden Voice” Terror who hit them with, “Chinese Children Calling Me Daddy”: “Since I small I living with women/ And all I could get from them is false children/ Some with blue eyes and some like Chinee/ Any kind of child my girl make, she stick me/ But I waiting on her patiently/ Is about ten months now she ent kiss me/ And you know the boldface woman does tell me/ Any kind of child that born in my house, I’m the Daddy” The chorus goes:
I’m so ashamed I don’t tell anybody (Chinese children call me Daddy); You know my mother does want to be me when (Chinese children calling me Daddy); But look, I black like jet and she just like Tary Baby…still (Chinese children calling me Daddy); Well is left, right, in front and behind me (Chinese children calling me Daddy).
Then Lord Blakie went for them with “Chinese Food” (1963): “One day the Lord went down in the city/ And while shopping an feel so hungry/ One day the Lord went down in the city/ And while shopping an feel so hungry. So when ah reach the corner ah stop/ And ah went inside a Chinese cook shop/ Believe me friends ah put myself in a jam/ What the Chines say ah can understand.” Then came the chorus: “Yor want curly fit an lice (No…Chin…No)/ You want cully beef and lice (No…Chin…No)/ You haf no suit eet/ No haf smoke helling/ All me gut is some loast chitting/ Sit tung eat ee…food/ The Chiney man say/ I aint hungry Chin another day.”
Next was Lord Cristo (Christoper Laidlow) went even higher with, “CHINA MAN” (1971): “Well and Englishman and a Chinee, / Painters by trade arguing about potency,/ / Chung Lee and Mr. Donohan,/ They bragging about who is more man,/ Who tell de English\man brad about his ancestors,/ And how Churchill was de greatest Prime Minister,/ De Chinee say yes but with all allyuh might,/ All you does still come and beg we to help you fight.” In other words, “You looking for the Chinee man.” (Lord Cristo China Man)
For many, the Mighty Dictator (Kenneth St. Bernard) was more like a Pit Bull with “CHINESE CRICKET MATCH” (1956): “I had a dream on yesterday’s papers/ A cricket match with some Chinese players (repeat)/ They say the Indian people name funny/ Nothing to beat the Chinee/ As though the Chinese does get their name/ But the beating of the steelband in Port-of-Spain.” The real fun was the Chorus: “For is Ling King/ bowled and caught by Loong Ping/ And Wing Ping/ got cleaned bowled by Poon Pang/ And the whole Oval shout/ When Loom Lum get Wang Poon Ping Pang Poon out.”
The Calypsonians made sure that they not only knew the Calypsos but were the kings of the road. They were in charge and if any of the races, groups and other countries didn’t like it, there was nothing they could do, especially the jokes on their expense. The Chinese got more than a share- they got jokes for years. Then came along Edwin Ayoung, better known and appropriately name, “Crazy.” He was born in 1944 (a year before me), and even though he is 82 years old, he is still not just one of the greats, especially with the link between Venezuela and not just Trinidad but the Caribbean. While he is known for hits like “Nani Wine,” “Cold Sweat,” “Muchacha,” and “Homemade Wine,” he has been highly active since 1974.
However, the one thing I find among his work is a piece we should all read, learn and understand- “WHAT IS A CALYPSO” (2004): “Calypso is a profession/ Calypso is an art/ But if you ask a calypsonian/ What it is, he cyah start/ To give you an analysis/ That could properly describe/ Or form a calypso thesis/ With substance or diatribe/ So every year seeing new criteria/ No one could say which or what/ And through there seems to be no formula/ The singing and just but…” in the chorus:
What is a calypso? Is it when the calypsonian say so;
What is a calypso? The criteria I want to know;
What is a calypso? Is it a rhythm to dance limbo?
What is a calypso? Is it something jumpy or something slow?…
In Trinidad and Tobago, what is calypso
Tell me Miss, tell me Sir, what is a Calypso?
*Tony Deyal was last seen listening to Crazy’s “PARANG SOCA”: “Alpagata, Alpagata” which ends with, “When you drink your chip chip water/ You could fight Bengal tiger/ Maria, Maria, Maria/ Mi Corazon.” (Crazy – Parang Soca)
