Drumming and Dance at Emancipation Rally

According to Mr. Anthony Theobalds, Chief Cultural Officer, the event which had as its focus, “Drum and Dance Salute”, sought to get persons “to try to remember how there was a response to the initial emancipation with drumming and ringing of bells.”

Dancing and Drumming

Mr. Theobalds explained that the drumming pieces performed at the event, came from the traditional African drum, but that there were also pieces from the steel pan, not used simply as “putting pan on a drumming and dance programme”.  Instead, its inclusion was because “the pan is the 20th Century drum, an evolution of the drum from a purely rhythmic instrument to an instrument that carries both rhythm and melody.”

As far as the dance went, the Urban Expressions, a youth and community group out of Edinboro, gave a stellar performance when the drumming groups of Ndraco of Georgetown, the Rose Hall Drummers and Naked Roots with Nzimbu combined to treat the audience to a spectacle of African rhythms, which invited many to participate in the dancing.

Speakers

The Heritage Square audience also heard two addresses.  The first came from Ms. Idesha Jackson, who spoke on behalf of the Emancipation Month Committee.  This Committee is comprised of members of the African Heritage Foundation, the Rastafari Working Committee and the Spiritual Baptists.  Ms. Jackson spoke about freedoms and privileges which citizens of this country now enjoy, contrasting this with the hard work and toil and brutal beatings which our forefathers experienced of the plantations.  She encouraged the audience to appreciate “what we have.”

Hon. Mike Browne, Minister of Social Development, etc., spoke in place of the Hon. René Baptiste, Minister of Culture.  He reminded those gathered that “slavery left us a legacy, but the struggle continues”.  He outlined three salient issues which he said one must use to continue to inform his/her agenda: the identifying of our own selves as people of African descent; the continuation to decolonize ourselves economically; and the keeping of the issue of reparation on the agenda at all times.

‘Gullah..’

The rally culminated with the showing of the audio-visual documentary, ‘Gullah – God’s Gonna Trouble the Water’.  According to President of the African Heritage Foundation, Mr. Fidel Neverson, the film outlined the way of life of the Gullah people of South Carolina who, although having no real connection to West Indians, demonstrate similar traits and qualities.  These people are said to have traced their origins to the African country of Mali.  The hour-long movie had the crowd spellbound, and many looked for and noted these similarities.

Had the gathering of persons at the rally been larger, then the word resounding could have been added to its success.

Source of article:
The Vincentian
by Gloriah...
08/05/2010
www.thevincentian.com