Bekita dams a kanga shimis
pronka drenta sal’i balia
k’un finura k’un koketa
kada paso na su tempu
kada zoya na midí
Békitá! Békitá!
Békitá! Békitá!Hernan dí: E dams akí
ai ta flor pa hasi bunita;
yena sala ku pèrfume
hari saka djent’i oro
zoya renchi di makurá
Békitá! Békitá!
Békitá! Békitá!
Ma or’un pachi prufiá
a bai lamantá Bekita
pa é tuma’den k’e tumba
el a keda babuká
kon e mosa tantu lesma
por a para serená
Békitá Békitá
pa kén b’a mirá
Békitá Békitá
pa kén b’a tumá
Békitá Békitá
Békitá Békitá
[Papiamentu]
Lady Bekita lifted up her skirt
And stalked into the ballroom
With a smile, with coquetry
With calculated steps
And complete body control
Bekita, Bekita,
Bekita, Bekita.The gentlemen said:
This lady is just a pretty flower
filling the room with its perfume
smiling and showing her golden teeth
And swinging her red coral earrings
Bekita, Bekita,
Bekita, Bekita.
But when a gutsy old man
Dared to invite Bekita
To join him in the tumba,
He was flabbergasted
That such a delicate lady
Could sway her hips in total abandon:
Bekita, Bekita,
For whom did you take
Bekita, Bekita
Who did you think she was
Bekita, Bekita
Bekita, Bekita
Bekita, Bekita
Translated by Aart G. Broek. Source: Callaloo, Vol. 21, No. 3, Carribean Literature from Suriname, The Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, and The Netherlands: A Special Issue (Summer, 1998), p. 577
Start below video at 2 minutes to hear Bekita recited in Papiamentu… in the rythm of our Tumba.
Little known Awesome fact: Bekita is the nickname for Rebecca, a young Jewish woman.
Despite being forbidden by her own social circle, Bekita slips away to join a tumba party, primarily an Afro-Antillean cultural phenomenon at the time. This Jewish woman stupefies everyone by dancing the tumba just like any black woman would… a true symbol of creolization.
I'm Carolina Gomes-Casseres, the creator of 1000 Awesome Things About Curaçao.
I live in Manhattan but sometimes miss my first awesome island. Thanks for visiting!
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