Quelbe, quelba, quilbay 1 (n): A kind of African dance possibly of Congo origin, comprising songs, drumming and dances performed by women.
As late as 1940 on the hills in Charlotteville at nights one could hear the music of Congo women playing what villagers called Congo-drum (marlidoun-doun) and tambour-bamboo…and dancing quelbe reputed to be a very wild erotic dance for females only.
The tone of the drums has always been a system used for corresponding by numerous African people. The quelbe dance which is possible of Congo origin was a staple in Charlotteville Tobago a village nestled in a bay on the north of the island.
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