Kawina (music)

Kawina, also spelled kawna or kauna, is a musical genre from Suriname. It originated in the last decades of the 19th century under the influence of the music and dance forms banya, laku and tuka. It is related to African music.

The genre shares its name with the river Commewijne and the district with the same name: both are called kauna in Sranan Tongo. There are several theories about the origin of this name. According to one theory, kawina was created on the Upper Commewijne by Maroons influenced by indigenous Surinamese. According to a second, it was called mabu poku, and later renamed after a talented singer in the Commewijne District. According to a third theory, kawina originated among gold miners and rubber tappers in the rainforest.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, kawina was the dominant Afro-Surinamese music style. Around that time, it was overtaken in popularity by kaseko. This shift was mainly from the influence of Fransje Gomes, as she introduced a fuller sound with wind instruments and electric guitars.

Big Jones was one of the artists that kept kawina alive in the 1960s. Together with Johan Zebeda, he recorded the first kawina record in history. Zebeda was helped by radio station owner and producer Werner Duttenhofer; unlike other radio stations, Duttenhofer's station made sure to give Zebeda's music airplay. Another 1960s musician who focused on kawina and banya was Pa Monti. He played with Overtoom Kriyoro for forty years; in 1981, he founded his own group, Monti Kriyoro, and developed a style of his own. René Waal of the theater troupe De Vrolijke Jeugd also wrote songs in the genres of kaseko, winti and kawina.