SANS HUMANITE

In a “Calypso War,” two Calypsonians improvise songs in competition against each other to be most clever and entertaining, usually while taking verbal jabs at one another. The form, most common in the calypso hotbed of Trinidad and Tobago, is also known as “Extempo” because of the improvisational (extemporaneous) nature of the art.

The four most popular melodies that Calypsonians use for their battles are the famous songs, “Matilda”, “Miss Mary Ann”, “Big Bamboo,” and, the most beloved of all, which you’ll meet in this video, "Sans Humanité.”