Every culture has music; in many instances more than one genre exists and in some cases there are fusions. The statement that music is universal, while cliched, is nevertheless true. People communicate through music, which can uplift and motivate, or dash down and sadden. It depends on the music.
Banchikilli music, which is part of the culture of the Arawak community, does the former even as listening to it during this month provokes a sense of nostalgia.
Banchikilli is an Arawak word that means “to dance to the violin and banjo.” According to what is known of its history, Banchikilli emerged in Santa Rosa during the early nineteenth century. As a musical expression among the people of Santa Rosa who dwell in settlements along the Moruca River, Banchikilli takes its cues from a fusion of indigenous melodies and southwestern European rhythms.
