bigdrumnation

Reading Time 6 minsAugust 31, 2021 So, I was invited to a gathering, largely of strangers to me, to ‘witness’ an un-authored and wordless ‘Letter´ which was being scripted through dance! Yet the dancer, whom I have known for over fifty years since she was a child, was able to captivate and connect us easily because she was the hub to which we were all hinged at crisscrossing angles, representing various interlocking chapters in her life! As a trained actress at Juilliard and a Professor Emerita at Kent University, why didn’t she simply write the letter for her dad and… Read More »REFLECTIONS ON “A Letter Home for Dad.”–Dr. Jennifer Rouse

Reading Time

Reading Time 3 minsBetween the years 1650 and 1807 approximately 750,000 enslaved Africans were shipped to the island of Jamaica. Through successive revolts by the enslaved Africans and the inevitable decline of the slave system, slavery ended in Jamaica on August 1, 1834. However, the socio-economic, cultural, and political life of the country were still controlled by the landowners and local oligarchy. The struggle for freedom continued, although under different conditions and assumed different forms – from the development of the labor movement, including Trade Unions and Universal Adult Suffrage, to the formation of political parties and the development of… Read More »Jamaica’s Independence: The Struggle Continues — Richard S. Dunn

Reading Time 5 minsThe first week of August is celebrated as Emancipation Day in much of the Caribbean, a testament to our shared history of bondage and a continuing common quest for liberation. This year, many events will be held both traditionally and online. For example, in Grenada, there would be cultural activities and live events, and a panel discussion. Traditionally in Grenada, emancipation Day celebrations are situated during the carnival festivities in Grenada. Therefore, it is a fitting reminder that our expressive culture, calypso, carnival, and our big drum culture, are our liberated voices. Emancipation is the most important… Read More »Happy Emancipation Day!

Reading Time 3 mins24 jiyè 2021 Mpa kwè m te janm li yon liv an Kreyòl lè m t ap grandi Ayiti pandan ane 1970 yo.  Tout liv m te li yo te an Fransè. Kreyòl se lang nou te pale nan mache, nan lari osinon nan match foutbòl.  Ann Ayiti, yo konsidere moun ki pale Fransè tankou moun ki gen “bon jan edikasyon.” Moun ki te pale Kreyòl sèlman yo, yo pa t konsidere yo tankou moun ki edike. Mwen te aprann pale Kreyòl lakay mwen ak nan katye mwen. Pandan tan sa yo, timoun yo te konn rasanble… Read More »Yon istwa inivèsèl pou espire jèn yo– Ketlie Camille

Reading Time 1 minsAugust 1, 2021 “Wat a devilment a Englan! Dem face war an brave de worse, But me wonderin how dem gwine stan Colonizin in reverse.” Louise Bennett-Coverley, “Colonization In Reverse. Referencing August 1, 1838, as the actual Emancipation Day, compels reflections on the impulse to freedom throughout the region. Yet, while that passion burned within the soul as it existed in Africa from whence the enslaved people came, its first realization outside of Africa was Haiti. In “Happy Emancipation Day 2021!” Martin Felix underscores that the Haitian Revolution of 1804 “birthed the first post-slavery independent Black Republic,” thus inspiring and… Read More »Emancipate Ourselves on Emancipation Day!

Reading Time 3 minsJuly 28, 2021 As if taking cues from the Trump era, the Biden-Harris administration has renewed US restrictions on Cuba when humanity should be doing the opposite – extending international solidarity in this time of a global Covid pandemic. This moment, however, provides a teachable opportunity in which we can reflect on the significance of the Cuban Revolution to humanity, especially to the people of Latin America and the Caribbean. Monday, July 26, 2021, was the 68th anniversary of the glorious Cuban 1953 movement that sounded the death knell against the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, the… Read More »Latin America and the Caribbean and Cuba’s July 26th Movement — Winston Simmonds

Reading Time 4 minsJuly 19, 2021 I am not sure if I ever read a book in Creole/Kreyol while growing up in Haiti in the 1970s. All the books that I read were in French. Kreyol was a language spoken in the markets and the streets or during a football game.  In Haiti, people viewed those who spoke French as “well educated.” The ones speaking Kreyol were considered “uneducated.” I learned to speak Creole at home and in my neighborhood. Then, in what seemed like the good old days, children would gather to play and listen to stories told in Kreyol… Read More »AN INSPIRATIONAL AND UNIVERSAL STORY FOR THE YOUNG-Ketlie Camille

Reading Time 2 minsJuly 19, 2021 “Everybody give praise Rally, rally ‘round the West Indies Now and forever Rally, rally ‘round the West Indies Now and forevermore.” David Rudder, “Rally Round the West Indies,” 1987 Imagine one book that engenders community pride causes Granny and Daddy to reminisce with joyful tears and pushes readers to jump out of their chairs dancing and singing to the music pounding silently in their heads. How can that be? History of West Indies Cricket Through Calypsoes does it all. The author, Nasser Khan, taps two significant passions of the Caribbean; cricket, and calypso; and… Read More »CRICKET CALYPSOES: FUELING MEMORY! — Carlyle G. Leach

Reading Time 1 minsJuly 19, 2021 BDM is pleased to share comments on two incredible books for young readers and the young at heart. In “An Inspirational and Universal Story for the Young,” Ketlie Camille reviews Olympic Hero: Lennox Kilgour’s Story by Joanne Kilgour Dowdy. This children’s book tells the story of the author’s father’s glorious march to the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Camille draws life lessons from the beautifully illustrated book, which she read in English, and Kreyol–the language she learned while growing up in Haiti. Kilgour Dowdy’s Olympic Hero is probably the first children’s book translated from English into Haitian Kreyol. (The Kreyol version of the review will… Read More »‘Olympic Hero: Lennox Kilgour’s Story’ and History of West Indies Cricket Through Calypsoes: Two Memorable Books For The Young