bigdrumnation

Within Rum and Coca Cola “Gypsy in the Moonlight” book review

Reading Time 4 minsWithin Rum and Coca Cola By Duff Mitchell L. F.  Waldron’s Gypsy in the Moonlight, with its appeal to thoughts and feelings, is a fine piece of literary work. The author presents a sequence of events in a gently gripping tide of narrative that makes the reader anxious to find out what’s next. The story unfolds around the conflict between a mother and daughter as well as between American sailors and the community exemplified in an ex-policeman. Gypsy accounts for the American occupation of Trinidad and Tobago, beginning in 1942 with sailors stationed in Trinidad during World… Read More »Within Rum and Coca Cola “Gypsy in the Moonlight” book review

I Was Once Afraid of Black Stalin – Richard Grant

Reading Time 4 minsFirst Published March 30, 2016 Stalin first came to my attention when I was a high school student in Jamaica. My friends and I marveled at his ability to command the attention of an entire nation.  We understood that everyone listened to him very carefully, and reacted immediately to his words. So, when we heard about the Black Stalin, we were terrified because there was no doubt that a Black Trinidadian dictator would definitely be crueler than his European counterpart. Although I was still young, I was fully aware of the rivalry, and was confident Jamaica could not be outdone, because soon we… Read More »I Was Once Afraid of Black Stalin – Richard Grant

​RIP Phife Dawg “Trini Gladiator”

Reading Time 2 minsA Tribe Called Quest [ATCQ] is known for their optimistic, socially conscious brand of rap. Like with many other dynamic bands, we sometimes miss the tall standing trees amidst a group’s overall vibrant ecosystem. So when the news reached my family of the death of Malik Boyce Taylor, aka Phife Dawg, I reflected on Phife the person, his family, and what ATCQ would have been absent of this Trini yute from Queens. The son of highly acclaimed Trinidadian American poet Cheryl Boyce Taylor, Malik Isaac Boyce Taylor was born in New York City on November 20, 1970.… Read More »​RIP Phife Dawg “Trini Gladiator”

R.I.P. King Rhino

Reading Time 3 minsGrenada has lost a cultural icon.  Former Carriacou and Petit Martinique calypso and soca Monarch Kenly Joseph (better known by the sobriquet Rhino) died from gunshot wounds in Brooklyn, New York on December 4, 2015.  Fans and friends remember Rhino for his joyful disposition, sharp social commentaries, wit, and his exploits as a distinguished parandero. Many are moaning Rhino, especially as the holiday season is upon us, clearly one of the seasons he lived for. For more on the tragedy please visit the story from the Grenada Chronicle.  Big Drum Nation consulted cultural and community activist Nic Cox for… Read More »R.I.P. King Rhino

Come Celebrate 10th Anniversary of NYC Transit Strike this Saturday at MEC

Reading Time 1 minsThis coming weekend marks a decade since the City of New York was brought to a standstill as a result of the first Citywide Transit Strike in 25 years. The strike started on Dec 20th, 2005 and lasted for 3 days. A program marking the 10th Anniversary of the Dec 2005 NYC Transit Strike is being held on Sat. Dec 19th from 2pm to 6pm. The program is free to the public and will be held in the ‘Founders Auditorium’ at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, located at 1650 Bedford Ave in Brooklyn (Between Crown St and Montgomery… Read More »Come Celebrate 10th Anniversary of NYC Transit Strike this Saturday at MEC

“One of the best novels set in the Caribbean in the last 50 years” Launches in Brooklyn

Reading Time 2 minsBook launch of ‘Gypsy in the Moonlight’ “Gypsy in the Moonlight,” a novel set in Trinidad and Tobago during World War II, written by Lawrence Waldron, will be formally launched Tuesday evening December 15 at the Brooklyn Public Library branch at 22 Linden Blvd, Brooklyn. The launch, scheduled for 6:00-7:45 PM,  will be hosted by the Caribbean Awareness Committee and the Trinidad and Tobago Folk Arts Institute, in collaboration with the Caribbean Literary and Cultural Center. The book is, as described by the  author, “a historical novel that combines the wry wit, urban commentary and gender anxieties… Read More »“One of the best novels set in the Caribbean in the last 50 years” Launches in Brooklyn

All Saints Day This

Reading Time 1 minsNovember 1 is All Saints’ Day. It is that day when we remember and honor our dead with prayers, candlelight, drink, sweets, and most of all, food. The All Saints’ culinary alphabet begins with the letter “C”- C standing for Corn [maize] a Mesoamerican crop that arguably is our keenest symbol of generosity. Every ear of corn is a call to unity and community-making. Of course, giving food is at the apex of the moral systems of agricultural societies: the kitchen sits the parliament of the agrarian community. Mesoamerica  is an area extending roughly from central Mexico to Honduras… Read More »All Saints Day This