bigdrumnation

Reading Time 5 minsThe month of May is especially significant to Caribbean Indians as it is ‘Arrival Month’ to recognize the coming of Indian Indentured labourers to the region. The following Caricom countries celebrate Indian Arrival day: Ashook Ramsaran, the Guyanese born, New-York-based President of the Indian Diaspora Council International, observed that staples of Indian heritage which sustain us in the Caribbean as much as elsewhere in the Diaspora are; “mantra, music, masala, memories, mentoring, Mata-ji and the value of money, thrift and hard work.”  Ms. Ornella Boodoo is an entrepreneur who unintentionally exemplifies these legacies of Indian culture. Indian… Read More »Celebrating East Indian Contributions to the Caribbean: Achaar and Chutney-Shalima Mohammed

Reading Time 1 minsWith its rich terrain of diverse musical styles, Caribbean popular culture has done an extraordinary job of keeping us in tune with world developments, especially during times of Uprising. It is not by accident that kompas, reggae, calypso, salsa, etc., are regarded as ‘the people’s journalism.’ And the modern David vs. Goliath succession of liberation struggles across the continent culminating in the independence of Southern African countries were heralded with psalms from Brother Valentino, Peter Tosh, Ziggy Marley, Sparrow, and others. As we celebrate African Liberation Day today, May 25, which commemorates the founding of the Organization of African Unity, now African… Read More »ON AFRICAN LIBERATION DAY…

Reading Time

Reading Time 8 minsMay 25, 2021 _________________________________________________________________________ Indeed, Kevin Pope was a boss lyricist who, by the sheer power of crisp and deft word choice and masterly rhyme scheme, brought his audiences into his scenes and compositions as participants… He didn’t sing to an audience but with them. The bard served as a vehicle that gave Voice to those on the margins. By recording the lives of ordinary folks in song, he not only validated them but may well have re-fashioned and extended lives—social realism at its best! __________________________________________________________________________   “Mussolini, you too brass face and bold/ Ah mean to claim our… Read More »Calypso In The Service of African Liberation: Kelvin (‘Mighty Duke’) Pope’s Contribution– Winthrop R. Holder

Reading Time 3 minsMay 25, 2021 In September 2015 the United Nations ratified the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 described by that body as a  “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all” noting that they “address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice.” The Year 2020 has been designated by that said organization as the beginning of the decade of action aimed at ensuring that the world does achieve those goals that are rooted in the 5 p’s of people, planet, prosperity, peace, and security. The COVID 19 epidemic has highlighted the importance… Read More »African Liberation Day Message to the World During the Pandemic: Ubuntu — Dr. Thelma Phillip-Browne

Reading Time

Reading Time

Reading Time

Reading Time 1 minsApril 30, 2021 “Every heart, every soul, is a drum… here’s your sanctuary.” David Rudder, Song of the Earth Kim Johnson’s The Illustrated Story of Pan captures and reveals so much of the Caribbean‘s essence by prompting our dangerous memory’s activation and reclamation. By fashioning a haven for deep meditation on “the transformation of a drum into a melody maker” and a movement, the book compels cultural retrieval. In this, the third commentary in our ongoing Writers’ Symposium/Lime, Kamau Odinga, in  “What This Pan Book Did For Me–The Ancestors Are Jumping,” reconnects with and deepens his early pan memories through a… Read More »Recapturing The (True) Spirit Of The ‘Pan Pioneers’*

Reading Time 2 mins April 30, 2021 The Ancestors Are Jumping! Kim Johnson’s The Illustrated Story of Pan took me away from my reading of Hubert Harrison’s “When Africa Awakes” and ushered me into a solid weekend (April 17-18) of Pan. Pan Memories, like Sunland, the Tunapuna Steelband with members like “Dalgo,” Silver,” “Joe Dog,” “Monkey,” and “Wolf-Man” were quickly recalled. Somewhere between eight and ten, some 63 years ago, I can see myself on the Eastern Main Road J’Ouvert Morning in Sunland, and I recall the heavy iron section. I was born in Tunapuna and lived the first 15 years of… Read More »What This Pan Book Did For Me –Kamau Odinga