Previous perspectives

By Connie Foss

In the past year I have witnessed positive changes in Costa Rica, not in politics or the economy, but in culture. New music groups recently formed in the Central Valley and the Caribbean have created a harmonious union of language and culture in the land.

In November and December, classical and sacred music performances in Heredia, Puerto Viejo and Limón drew together a diverse population of tourists, expat residents from Europe and all of the Americas, English-speaking limonenses and Spanish-speaking Ticos.

A performance of Angelicus Chorale took place in November in Heredia’s cultural center. This eclectic performance featured a range of cultures and languages, from Italian opera and Bach to original pieces and Spanish folk songs, concluding with a heartwarming song of goodwill, in English. The choir’s December performances of sacred heart music, accompanied by a brass band from Limón, were held in the Puerto Viejo Catholic Church as well as the cathedral and the First Baptist Church in Limón. This new choral group did an impressive job of performing several selections from Handel’s Messiah – impressive, considering that only two of its 20-some members had ever sung Handel before.

Although the Heredia chorale boasts a voice instructor and music director with careers in music, I was most impressed by the Puerto Viejo group, and not just because of its challenging choice of music. These amateur singers have begun a revolution for change in their community. Through their initiative, people of diverse cultures and languages have begun to gather for an experience of what is popularly called “higher consciousness.” Handel (as well as most composers) wrote his music with the hope that his listeners would be changed for the better. This is the intention of the Puerto Viejo group.

The province of Limón has gained a very negative reputation in Costa Rica for its crime and corruption. I know this by personal experience. Every time I tell someone that my favorite place in Costa Rica is Puerto Viejo and its small beach communities, I receive the response, “Oh, that’s a dangerous place! Do you feel safe?” I reply that yes, I have so far been very safe. But I qualify my reply by acknowleding that Limón and its beach towns do experience petty crime and municipal corruption.

There has been much local talk of how to respond to these problems. Some residents are frustrated to the point of buying guns and forming posses to catch thieves. But that’s not a solution. This area needs positive change, not retaliation. The genesis of a classical and sacred music group has so far been a very positive addition to the community. I hope it will continue to unite the languages and cultures of Ticos, Gringos and everyone in between with the message of goodwill.

Limón province is truly unique. Calypso and reggae music have influenced Costa Rica by helping to preserve and maintain the presence of English language and culture in a Spanish-speaking nation. However strange as it sounds, many Costa Rican residents identify reggae music with the culture of crime in Limón.

Recently, a friend visited from the United States. We were eating dinner at a place in Puerto Viejo that was playing reggae music. I remarked that I liked the words to that particular song. My friend grimaced and said that she didn’t understand why her teenage daughter had gone to a reggae concert in New England. What’s the big deal about reggae?

I asked her if she had ever listened to the lyrics. Reggae music preaches the gospel of peace, love and unity, but my tourist friend’s attitude mirrored that of many native Costa Ricans, who do not hear the message of reggae because of the issue of race.

I am particularly charmed by the calypso and reggae music of Limón because it is a linguistic treasure. In fact, I have considered using the lyrics of this music to teach English and raise the status of limonense English. But the founders and members of the Heredia choir and sacred heart music are already teaching English in Costa Rica – not just to paying students, but to everyone who will listen. And maybe, along with the words, they are transmitting the culture of peace and social harmony.

“And on earth, peace and goodwill toward men.”

Connie Foss teaches English to students all over Costa Rica. She is associated with Language Incorporated, a team of Costa Ricans and native English speakers united with the mission to address culture with language.