Folk Music in Guyana
About Folk
During the time of independence in Guyana, the nation remained musically connected with larger Caribbean Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese “folk” traditions associated musics such as kwe kwe, comfa, masquerade, chatini, kali mai pujas, and jhajan singing. British Guiana was also home to religious music, folk music used in festivals and rites of passage. Examples of these induce the up-tempo music of Matticore known as Chatini, which is the pre-marriage ritual similar to the Kwe Kwe which is a ritual of Guyanese of African ancestry.
The popularization and promotion of this folk music in Guyana was the outcome of cultural nationalism that was brought about in resistance to colonialism. This folk music in Guyana was also an important attribute of Guyanese nationhood and identity. Chutney music is a brand of folk music in Guyana, and the Queh Queh ceremony in Guyana has also given Guyana some of its most important and memorable folk songs.