Culture of Carriacou

• The following is the text of an article written by Merle Collins for the 25th anniversary of independence in 1999. Since the article was written, a few details have changed – for example, Mrs. Shirley Robinson,mentioned in the article, has since retired from the Ministry of Culture. The calypsonian Talpree has since become much more famous.Additionally, were the article to be written today,there might be some information added regarding publication by Grenada writers.However, the general cultural and historical information remains relevant."    Merle Collins

Carriacou 30 Years ago

•  Thirty years ago, when, in 1974, Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique were first named an independent nation, the cultural expression was evidenced publicly mainly by forms such as the calypso, Carriacou Big Drum, in dance by the Lancers, Heel-and-Toe, a troupe known as the Beewee Ballet and in theatrical expression locally by artistes such as Messrs. Willie Redhead and Renalph Gebon and Mrs. Thelma Phillips (Auntie Tek). A great deal of the cultural expression focused on a sense of patriotism and, perhaps, a sense not so much of Grenada's place in the world as of the island world that was Grenada.
• Today, at the end of the 1990s, cultural workers have benefitted from those early manifestations of the culture and, with the experiences of those pioneers to guide them, have hopefully improved on that legacy. In both rendition and composition, the Grenadian calypso has certainly moved forward. The largely patriotic songs of the 1970s are precursors to today's biting social and political commentary and to songs such as the Mighty Scholar’s MONTSERRAT, indicating an awareness not only of the island as a world but of the island's connectedness with the region and the world. Today, Grenada's calypsoes, while not always favored by political leaders, invite analysis of the origin of the calypso, of the calypso as poetry, of poetic forms not traditionally introduced into the region's British education system, but coming out of an oral tradition of poetry with its origins on the continent of Africa.
•  In the Grenadian calypso, too, one is fascinated by a performer like Tangler, consistently singing tunes showing an Indian influence, an idea which owes its origin more to the experience of neighboring Trinidad than of Grenada. For the past two years, another calypsonian, Talpree, has been singing songs influenced by what he refers to as the "wild Indian" experience. In his 1998 calypso, Talpree admits that he has never visited India, doesn't know the meaning of the "wild Indian" chants that come to him but is inspired to express them nonetheless. Talpree's inspiration - and the particular inspiration of various other calypsonians - is an indication of the vibrancy and tenacity of cultural expression generally and (in this case) of Grenadian cultural expression in particular.
• As simple and even incomprehensible as Talpree's lyrics may sound (ram I ramiday juk a te i ram), they encourage the keen listener to further research on cultural dynamics in Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique. A great deal of what is happening in the calypso represents an advance from 25 years ago, when the influence of the Black Power movement was already encouraging an exploration which was then only in what might be termed an early embryonic stage.
• In the expression of this particular cultural form, too, Grenada, like other Caribbean islands, has seen the birth of soca, an interesting attempt to give the calypso international appeal. Grenada's soca, like the soca of other places, also encourages analysis of the social commentary origins of the calypso and the (some think) changing requirements of the times. Finally, for the calypso, it must be pointed out that in this as in other areas of cultural expression, when one talks about the form, one is particularly aware of the increasing involvement of the women of the nation. This is very evident in the semi-finals for young calypsonians. Among the children, the greater confidence and involvement of the girls is obvious. At the young people’s semi-finals for the 1998 calypso competition, people gathered at the Pomme Rose R.C. School commented on this. Perhaps it is a sign of the times. During the last half of the 20th century, those anxious about ensuring that girls did not continue to lag behind boys in public roles worked hard at pushing young women forward. Perhaps the 21st century will both continue to do this and seek to ensure that, in this form of cultural expression as in other areas, young men also gain more assurance and work for progress alongside young women.
• The cultural scene in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique is exciting, too, when one considers the Carriacou Big Drum and the yearly Parang. The parang as manifested in Carriacou is more like the "ole-time calypso" sung by a string band than the Trinidad & Tobago parang with its Venezuelan influence, although this latter, too, is increasingly influential in Grenada. The Carriacou parang keeps cultural expression alive and also merits further research. The Big Drum has for a long time been an inspiration and continues to be so. Today (with the work of Mr. Winston Fleary and others) it has taken to the stage - a move which keeps it in the public eye but certainly does not replace the importance of the Big Drum as experienced when people from Carriacou, living in many places throughout the world, go home to build headstones for relatives who have passed away.
• During recent years, there have been Big Drum performances throughout Britain and in other places internationally. The Big Drum (and in particular the Nation Dance) has also served as inspiration for climactic resolutions in a novel written by a U.S. novelist of Barbadian origin, Paule Marshall. Marshall has captured the Big Drum in literary expression and paid tribute to the Carriacou Nation Dance in her novel, PRAISESONG FOR THE WIDOW, which is used in literature courses internationally.
•  The thought of the Carriacou Nation Dance and the African cultural connections that it suggests brings to mind also the place of African traditional religions in our cultural heritage. In 1995, 1 interviewed Mr. Carlton Gabriel, whom people had mentioned to me was a shango practitioner. Mr. Gabriel let me know that he was not a "shango practitioner" but someone with a love of African traditional religion. He repeated for me a prayer that he said was the "Our Father in African." I appealed to a researcher at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, Dr. Maureen Warner-Lewis, to translate his words. Some of those words were actually from an ancient Yoruba (the language of the Yoruba people of Nigeria) and while it was not the Our Father, it approached a translation of the spirit of the prayer.
• Throughout Grenada, others with an interest in African traditional religion call on deities of these religions, using references little understood in our Grenadian society today but reflecting the tenacity of cultures and beliefs which survived in spite of being suppressed and generally frowned upon during colonial times. We have a great deal to learn about our heritage from research into the maroon, the saracca, the susu (a community banking system inherited from West African communities). Our education system has traditionally taught us about the European influence on the shaping of our culture.
•  Perhaps during the next century we will move towards greater research on the African, Amerindian and Asian aspects which are also part of our cultural formation.
  Grenadian cultural expression has gained strength in other areas, as evidenced by the theatrical presentations of groups such as Heritage Theatre, Family Theatre and Tumda. All of these try to present for public appreciation and analysis some aspect of what might be termed the sociocultural expression of our island world as well as the nuances of the political framework which shapes this. Another well-loved local group, Spice Isle Youthquake, travels widely promoting the music, song and dance of the Caribbean. Writing and performing from London, there are theatre practitioners such as Allister Bain, who claims to have started the Beewee Ballet troupe in Grenada before he migrated to England in the late 1950s and Beverley Glean, who has worked as artistic director of the Irie Dance Theatre Company. Working from both Canada and Grenada, Ricki Keens-Douglas is also a star on the healthy face of Grenadian cultural activity at home and abroad. Paul Keens-Douglas (Grenada/Trinidad) is another well-known storyteller. Many people have been influential in the promotion of the art of story-telling, reviving and recording the myths of origin and existence which shape the Grenadian/Caribbean imagination and which have also been an important means of instructing young people in the mores of the nation. Mrs. Thelma Phillips, too, continues to be one of the stalwarts of Grenadian cultural activity today. And at a recent Senior Citizens' concert sponsored by ART (Agency for Rural Transformation), the audience was made to realize that the senior citizens have a great deal to teach. The La Poterie Tambu Bambu group made it obvious that the Tambu-Bambu art is being passed on to the youth. The concert also featured the coco-lute, a flute-like instrument indigenous to Grenada.

• In an official framework, from successive Ministries of Culture there has been involvement in writing in schools (for example, initiatives like the Young Authors’ program) and an encouragement of arts festivals and other theatre activities. For years, Mrs. Shirley Robinson has been involved in the development of Grenadian culture and continues to give of her experience and expertise. One should also make mention of Marryshow House, the U.W.I. centre in St. George's, which has for some time functioned as the major theatre venue for individuals and groups anxious to pursue their craft in spite of the fact that there is little access to funding for development of the arts. Perhaps the phrase should be "no access" for most areas, since some local theatre groups might be tempted to ask me to reveal where the "little" exists. In Grenada, as in many other Caribbean countries, there is not the kind of funding for the arts that one finds in Britain or the United States. Grenadian artistes must be commended for achieving what they have in a small country with little invested in development of the arts.

• Then, of course, there is the biggest street theatre festival of all - carnival. While there is now greater involvement of people in carnival, ensured by a phenomenon such as the Monday-night mass, where people can jump for the cost of a T-shirt and other small items, some would argue that the theatrical aspects of carnival are thereby sacrificed. The bands on the streets during the day are, some contend, dwindling rather than increasing in size and the festival could be a greater occasion for street theatre and historical representation than it is at present. It must be said, however, that j’ouvert is healthy, alive, informative and funny. Also, in recent times there has been some attempt at a revival of traditional mass bands - the short knee, vieko, maypole. Other aspects of the street theatre could indeed be more vibrant, but after 25 years, carnival is alive and breathing. Those with an interest in this form of cultural expression and ideas for the next twenty-five years may be excited by the fact that there is work to be done if the theatrical aspect of the street festival is to be enhanced.
• The place of the steelband in carnival and as an independent force is another important feature of cultural activity in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. During the last twenty-five years, steelband, in Grenada as elsewhere, has come to be recognised as an important national phenomenon. Like the calypso, it has moved from being viewed as a slightly suspect "underclass" activity to being championed and courted by every class of society, as its significance in national formation is recognized. For me, the progress of the steelband in the cultural activity of the society was admirably expressed a few years ago by the Angel Harps steelband when they performed a piece entitled "NewClothes". As the tune progressed, they symbolically threw off the staid jackets with which they started the piece, revealing their red tee shirts, at the same time moving from the classical pieces which were perceived as giving them respectability to the calypso expression which is a national cultural heritage. Today the steelbands are highly respected expressions of our national culture and it is to be hoped that Angel Harps, Comancheros, New Dimensions and other bands throughout the state will continue to develop a powerful presence in cultural expression in the nation.

• In the area of fiction and poetry, too, Grenada has been quietly walking towards international recognition since 1974. In 1974, there were no published Grenadian writers of fiction and poetry who were internationally known. Among writers published since then are Merle Collins (1985), Jacob Ross (I 986), Verna Allette-Wilkins (I 988), Jean Buffong (I 990), Richardo Keens-Douglas (I 992), Joan Anim Addo(1998)and Chris DeRiggs(1998). Paul Keens-Douglas has also been publishing several collections out of Trinidad & Tobago. In Grenada, WAG, Writer's Association of Grenada, is quietly gaining strength and aiming at encouraging the development of writing workshops. While local writers do not have the same access to publishing facilities as those who live in places like Britain and the United States, writing and performance activity is strong within the country. With the assistance of Ms. Esther O'Neale (on whose initiative the Young Authors' program was started), some teachers have, during recent years, had children's stories published and Esther O’Neale herself has published an exciting collection of stories for all ages entitled RED PETTICOAT. There are excellent stories for children written by people presently resident in Grenada. There are writers of fiction and poetry who could benefit from access to opportunities for publication. It is to be hoped that early during the next twenty-five years some of these writers will have their work published, thus not only gaining the recognition that they deserve but also making exciting work available to the people of the nation.
• At the end of its first quarter century as an independent entity, Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique have certainly moved towards a deeper understanding of their post-colonial cultural identities and also to a greater appreciation of the pre-colonial (Amerindian, African) cultures which have informed their becoming. In Carriacou, the Big Drum is evidence of this. In Grenada, the Tivoli Drummers and the Birchgrove and River Sallee Lancers are evidence of enjoyable Caribbean re-creations with their roots in several cultures. The stage is set for even stronger performance during the next twenty-five years - and movement towards the 50th anniversary.