''Benna'' (alternatively spelled ''bennah'', or called ''ditti'') is a genre of
Antiguan and Barbudan music.
Benna is a
calypso-like genre, characterized by scandalous
gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling.
Etymology
The word is from Old English ''godsibb'', from ''god (word), god'' and ''sibb'', the term for the ...
and a
call-and-response
Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...
format. It first appeared during
slavery
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
, and became a form of
folk communication in the early 20th century, and it spread local news across the islands. John Quarkoo was a singer who used the genre to criticize oppressors of black people. It was the main genre of non-religious music in the region until the 1950s, after which was replaced by the popularity of Trinidad calypso.
Singing Benna is referenced three times in the short story ''Girl'' by Jamaica Kincaid published in the New Yorker Magazine June 19, 1978.
References
Music of Antigua and Barbuda
Calypso music
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