Sans Humanité: An Extempo Encounter

In one of Port of Spain's longstanding calypso haunts, a group of extempo poets gathers to "lime" and discuss the forthcoming contest finals for the Trindadian art of improvised sung poetry. Calypso, a style of Afro-Caribbean music, originated in Trinidad sometime around the turn of the 20th century. The roots of the Calypso can be traced to the arrival of African slaves who, being forbidden to speak among themselves, used music and song to communicate. Picong or extempo, is a light comical banter, usually at someone else's expense. As part of the Trinidadian Calypso tradition, it is the way in which West Indians (particularly those in the Eastern Caribbean) tease, heckle and mock each other usually in a friendly manner. However, the line between humor and insult is thin and constantly shifting, and at times the convivial spirit may degenerate into more heated debate. The ability to engage in picong without crossing over into insult is highly valued in the culture of calypso music. Featuring Lingo (Joseph Vautor-La Placeliere), Black Sage (Philip Murray), Brother B (David Browne), Lady Africa (Leslie Ann Bristow), Ezekiah Joseph, and Zano (Evris Manzano). To learn more, visit: http://citylore.org City Lore, Grassroots Poetry, Poetry Duels 1, video 015