Kriol Project produces new musical C.D.
A new C.D. debuted on the music scene this week and it’s packing three punches. The compilation is religious, it’s in Kriol, and it’s locally composed. For the past year, more than twenty people representing different denominations have been working with a visiting enthnomusicologist to translate the Bible to Kriol. But during that project, participants decided to expand their mission and pooled their own financial resources to produce thirteen songs of praise. According to Yvette Herrera, the effort is not a word for word translation, but an attempt to localise scripture.
Yvette Herrera, English to Kriol Translator
“They have wah scripture whe she “Oh, Thou Foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched thee.” You tell wah five year old dat, dat no seh nothing, but if you seh, “Unu People from Galatian how unu so stupid, unu go on just like somebody obeah unu,” yuh get it because bewitched dah when they put wah spell pan yuh, we use obeah. So have kriol inna the scripture it really mek people grasp it and know whe Gaad di tell them inna their own grassroots language.”
Janelle Chanona
“And you are hoping that this C.D. will be able to further that?”
Yvette Herrera
“Yes, because through singing, that dah wah nother expression, another language expression, an expression of yourself and dah di scripture. All ah dehn song yah dah scripture whe we put to music.”
“Da out ah scripture, but you wah find Brukdown music, you find lee punta-ish sounding song, lee slower one, you know and dah song whe you could move with, wash with and do yuh housework with. And while yuh deh inna yuh office, if yuh noh wah mek noise, put on your earphone and all ah dat, so I really excited because lotta work gawn inna it.”
Silvana Woods
“One ah deh best thing bout this CD Janelle is that you get fu realise, guess what, Gaad listen to me when I talk inna Kriol, Gaad understand Kriol too. When I happy, when I got troubles, when I wah connect with me spiritual self, I could use my heart language. So you di sing praises inna Kriol and you gat the spelling system right deh, so to me dat dah the best thing, that Gaad understand any language, all eight thousand of the world’s languages.”
The C.D. includes a booklet with the words of all the songs. Copies of the disc are available at the Bible Society bookstore at My Father’s House on Central American Boulevard. Price is fifteen dollars each.
