2017. jan 05.

How does a Bahamian nursery rhyme become a world famous hit?

írta: Tanczer Viki

Children on the Bahamas

Did you know about yourself that you know the song of a Bahamian ring play?

6^th January is the celebration of Bahamian children. According to Wikipedia, the national Children’s Day takes place on the first Friday of January. Now, the “armchair traveller” editor of this blog visits this country. Hip-hip-hurray, dear Bahamian children!

It is difficult to find sources about the life of Bahamian children in the internet or anything else which is not strongly connected to tourism. Thus, you quickly face the fact that this country is one of the most famous holiday resorts in the world. Accordingly, the 60% of the GDP comes from this sector and half of the population works here. The tourists of the cruisers and the banking sector elevated this archipelagic state to the level of the richest countries in the Americas.

You would think that this economic leading position ensures that everything is great and nice here. However, even this paradisiac country should work on some problematic topics. For example, the level of education decreased in the last couple of years due to the lack of teaching materials and internet access.

According to humanium.org the Bahamian children grew up previously in extended families. But these communities seem to dissolve nowadays. This is problematic as men are not obliged to take care of their children according to the law. 50% of the children are born out of wedlock and the prospective fathers leave the expectant women in many cases. Thus, several women bring up their children alone and they cannot even count on the relatives because of the dissolving extended families mentioned above. Without supervision, such children often drop out of school or have trouble with the law.

It is interesting, though it is to be convicted as well, that it is permitted according to Bahamian law to execute corporal punishment under 6 at home. What’s more, this power can be delegated from the family members to a school teacher. The Ministry of Education gives this power also for some staff member of schools to administer corporal punishment in the institutions and to “solve” behavioural problems. As this legal situation is at odds with several international agreements on the rights of children, the Bahamas cannot procrastinate to protect its children from physical and/or mental violence too long. Fortunately.

But let’s direct our boat onto calmer waters. After all, the first country Christopher Columbus visited in 1492 has several other interesting topics for us in store.

Right here we have the topic of the nursery song of a ring play mentioned in the title. The rules of this play are as follows: the players stand in a circle and sing the song and one of them dances his/her dance in the middle. Then, the dancer goes to a player, they change place and the new player goes to the middle and dances further. The ring play has several versions but one of them is known in the whole world.

Brown Girl in the Ring

There's a brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la
There's a brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la la
Brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la
She looks like a sugar in a plum
Plum plum

Show me your motion
Tra la la la la
Come on show me your motion
Tra la la la la la
Show me your motion
Tra la la la la
She looks like a sugar in a plum
Plum plum

Skip across the ocean
Tra la la la la
Skip across the ocean
Tra la la la la la
Skip across the ocean
Tra la la la la
She looks like a sugar in a plum
Plum plum.

Do you know that? No? Then you get a little help: