United Nations Singers: Panama Tombé [Haiti]

From the United Nations Singers Summer Concert 2008. Directed by Guillermo Vaisman. This jocular account in French Creole of a local uprising in Haiti was arranged by Irving Burgie, the prolific songwriter and musician born in New York of Barbadian descent. A horseman sets out for the village of Jacmel. Riding through Vallée and arriving at the Béné crossroads, he calls out: "My Panama hat has fallen off. If anyone is coming behind, please pick it up for me!"

Category:

Music

Tags:

• United
• Nations
• Singers
• Panama
• Tombé

[MO8738]

WOWWWWWWWW, MUSIC IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE .....

[HAiiTiiANCHiiC]

@marblecutter its an old story when president Hyppolite went to Jacmel, and walking into the city, his hat, "panama" fell. It was a bad omen, because he was shortly assassinated after.

[jlynei]

i remember that song...

[eddisson1987]

great....I really like it....panama m tonbe, sa ki deye ranmase l pou mwen...

[gilgabe66]

Please google "PANAMA HAT" it is not a large hat. It is a regular sized hat which became partular in the 1920's mostly worn but well dressed men with their nice two pieces suits. Jacmel was a beautiful city with mostly mulatoes and had a very well connection with Europe since it is a port city......It's "An arivan kafou Benet" not Kafou Limbe....Limbe est dans le nord d'Haiti pas le sud d'Haiti.

[JAmaicaHAitiShawty]

Haitianaaass Foo liiifeee :)

[dadouli23]

belle initiative.

[Mitchi3008]

I think it has to do people helping each other, and the expectation that if you understand what is important for me (literally, in the song, the hat is important because it protects you from the sun when you are traveling), then I can ask you to help me when I am in need, and it is okay for me to expect that good deed.

[marblecutter]

What is the real meaning of this song?

A Panama is a large sun hat, can it symbolize something different? There are many Haitian songs that are proverbial in nature and this may as well be one of them.

[tianglade]

Ca c'est vraiement Jolie,,, en arrivant Kafou Limbe,Panama Tombe,,,got to love this!