Kawina (music)

Kawina, also spelled kawna or kauna, is a

Big Jones was one of the artists that kept kawina alive in the 1960s. Together with Johan Zebeda, he recorded the first kawina record in history. Zebeda was helped by radio station owner and producer Werner Duttenhofer; unlike other radio stations, Duttenhofer's station made sure to give Zebeda's music airplay.^[3][4] Another 1960s musician who focused on kawina and banya was Pa Monti. He played with Overtoom Kriyoro for forty years; in 1981, he founded his own group, Monti Kriyoro, and developed a style of his own.^[5] René Waal of the theater troupe De Vrolijke Jeugd also wrote songs in the genres of kaseko, winti and kawina.^[1] Waal stayed with the troupe in Suriname from 1940 to 1973, and then traveled with them to the Netherlands.^[6]

Stage music

In the 1980s, Patrick Tevreden began introducing kawina to stage performances. As a child, he would rehearse with his friends by hitting sticks on buckets; Johan Zebeda was one of his heroes. In 1987, Tevreden toured with

Soon afterwards, the singer Sisa Agi emerged on the kawina scene with her group Ai Sa Si. They had hits like Ba Pinda, Faluma and Teke Doi.[10]

With the departure of Surinamese musicians to the Netherlands, kawina and the related style kaskawi were introduced there as well. Significant bands in the Dutch scene have been OG Explosion, La Rouge, La Caz and Spiet Faja.^[11][12]

Characteristics

Kawina is usually played for dance and entertainment, similar to West African dance music in general. Kawina shows several similarities with African music: claves that are drummed on a kwakwa-bangi drum, an abundance of musical imagery, and lyrics about relationships between men and women. The music is in four-quarter time, with an emphasized fourth beat on a conga or timbau.^[1]

In kawina, the four-string

• Prisir kawina (prisir means pleasant):
  Prisir kawina is meant for entertainment or relaxation; it does not have a religious character. The instruments are usually two kawina drums, a sakka and a cuatro (or reson). Over the course of time, diverse styles of prisir kawina have emerged all over Suriname. New songs are often created to tell about notable events. The older dance and music forms of banya, tuka and laku were sung in the rhythm of kawina.
• Winti kawina (
  Afro-Surinamese religion):
  Winti kawina has religious significance as a way to communicate with different wintis. For this purpose, several variations should be made on a solo drum. The music was traditionally performed in 12/8 time but was later transformed to 4/4 time.^[1]