Chanté mas

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Chanté mas and Lapo kabrit are a traditional form of Carnival music in Dominica, performed by masqueraders over two days of street parades. A lead singer called the chantwèl starts the chanté mas, followed by a responsorial chorus (lavwa). Drummers and dancers perform in front of the drummer on a tambou lélé, with instruments including lapo kabwit drums, tambou lélé, chak chak (maracas), scraper-rattle, cowbell, tambourine, triangle, conch shells, iron, and several horn players. Lyrics are usually sung in French Creole and focus on gossip or social satire, led by women (the chantwèl) while men provide the instrumental accompaniment.

Origins and meaning:
Chanté mas has West African and French roots and is central to Dominica’s Mas Dominik, the island’s original carnival. The festival blends history and religion: emancipation in 1838 freed former slaves who celebrated before Lent, while European Catholic carnival traditions contributed the pre-Lenten and flesh-scarce aspect. Carnival in Dominica runs for about thirty days before Ash Wednesday, with music, masquerade, and satire at its core.

Culture and evolution:
Dominica’s Carnival in Roseau features events like j’ouvert, the Calypso Monarch competition, the Queen of Carnival pageant, and bouyon bands. The songs’ double meanings and playful ridicule reflect local life. In the 1960s, imported calypso and steel pan grew in popularity and the traditional Chanté mas declined, helped by a 1963 fire that briefly banned the old style. Some villages, such as Grand Bay, still preserve the tradition. Today, Chanté mas and Lapo kabrit live on as part of bouyon music in Dominica.