Kava and Karaoke

When I used to think of old wise people sitting in a circle discussing something of great or little importance to the community, I typically imagined an Amerindian tent filled with wrinkled chiefs, passing around a pipe. The combination of the heat inside the tent, the smoky atmosphere, and the sharing of the pipe, creates calmness conducive to discussion. Throughout the Pacific Islands, from Fiji to Kiribati, drinking kava is what old men do. Kava is a powdery derivative of a root. When soaked in water it creates a dirty brown coloured drink that essentially tastes like mud. Excited to try it? What attracts a newcomer is that, like a mild narcotic, kava creates a calming sensation, and when strong enough, can make your whole mouth go numb. (Dentists take note!)

Out drinking kava with some friends at a karaoke bar, also really popular in the Marshall Islands, I started wondering whether kava also reduces inhibitions (like alcohol), because I actually started considering getting up there and singing “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurhythmics; maybe next time. (Ear plug salesmen take note!)

Speaking of music, Marshallese people like to dance as well as sing karaoke. There are a few night clubs in Majuro. 3am at “The Pub”, I found myself turning to a buddy of mine, a Harvard law student interning at the Majuro Court House this summer.

“What’s with the terrible transitions between songs? Is there only one CD player and the DJ has to pull the CD out before he inserts the next one?!”

I asked, you see, because between every single song there’d be a 5 – 12 second pause. People clear off the dance floor and it goes dark. Another friend, an elementary school teacher, was the one that replied. He’s a ripalle (white person) that grew up here in the Marshall Islands.

He said, “That’s just the way we like it here.”

After another swig of Waikato, it dawned on me (in vino veritas). The pause between songs creates this tension. If people like the next song, they enjoy jumping onto the dance floor to boogy-down. Imagine that moment when you’re sitting at a table and a song comes on that you love to dance to. You might grab a partner and practically leap onto the dance floor. The Marshallese style reproduces that feeling between every song!