Reading Time 7 mins By Yao Atunwa Though bearer of the name Butler, I could only imagine Uriah “Buzz” Butler (January 21, 1887 – February 20, 1977) uttering the sentiment, precisely: “We have been the butlers of our colonial masters’ house for too long, it’s about time we seek to own our place of homestead.” That place of homestead is obviously these islands on which our fore-parents were brought to toil from sunup to sundown with very little in return for their abundantly productive labor. And even when we were granted independence by Great Britain in 1974, there were still… Read More »In A World of Ironies: Taking Charge of Our Destiny – Yao Atunwa

Reading Time 2 minsAn ensemble comprised of some of New York’s best-known Caribbean American actors will come together Monday, December 10th at 7 pm to pay tribute to one of the region’s most iconic playwrights.  From Page to Stage – a Caribbean Journey will celebrate the work and the legacy of award-winning Trinidadian playwright Zeno Obi Constance. The event takes place at Theater Lab Studios in Manhattan. Merlina Rich, Artistic Director of Banana Boat Productions, is producing and directing the program. According to Ms. Rich, “Mr. Constance is the author of several scripts in the Banana Boat production repertoire, and his work has,… Read More »CARIBBEAN ACTORS UNITE FOR TRIBUTE TO TRINIDADIAN PLAYWRIGHT ZENO OBI CONSTANCE

Reading Time 3 minsI am of the deep conviction that we in Grenada, by virtue of our small population, have an opportunity (a comparative advantage, if you will) to engage in the liberation of our populace that will typically pose a bigger challenge to many other nation-states, but one that is very practical and necessary for the said effect. In the midst of our relative poverty as a nation, one whose population for generations has been taken advantage of and continues to be vulnerable to capitalist/imperialist power centers and their forces, we collectively can provide real security for each other… Read More »A Viable Plan for Grenada — Yao Atunwa

Reading Time 1 minsDr. Winston Bailey, Shadow, aka The Bassman, journeyed home to the ancestors October 30, 2018. Shadow left us on the cusp of receiving a well-deserved Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of the West Indies (St Augustine campus). Born in humble beginnings in Belmont Trinidad, Shadow grew up on his grandfather’s farm in Les Coteaux, Tobago. An occasional carpenter by trade, Shadow lived in some of the poorest areas of Port of Spain. The Bassman’s intimate familiarity with marginalization is graphically depicted in “Poverty is Hell”, one of the finest of social commentaries. The Bassman, who began singing calypso at 8 years… Read More »Rest In Power, Shadow — Martin P. Felix

Reading Time 3 mins11/26/2018 When, with a moving and evocative rendition of Shadow’s “One Love”, Count Robin and a host of artists including Ajala and Dr. Witty, brought down the curtains around midnight, the audience didn’t leave. Robin’s ability to invoke Shadow’s spirit while capturing the master’s persona, not just the broad-brimmed hat and all-black attire but his distinctive moves, left attendees speechless and motionless as if possessed by Shadow’s “Jumbies”… wanting more calypso.  And, as if in a Shadowesque trance, Yvette Rennie, president of the J’ouvert International; Dr. Lawrence Waldron, facilitator of the Shadowlingo blog; Raymond Luke, Chair, Sesame Flyers Int’l.; Donna Cox, T&T NY Consulate; Roger Toussaint, leader of… Read More »Brooklyn Celebrates the Life and Works of Shadow and De Fosto – Winthrop R. Holder

Reading Time 5 minsBig Drum Nation is pleased to present the remarks of Roger Toussaint at a Tribute to Shadow, Dr. Winston Bailey, and The Original De Fosto Himself, Winston Scarborough, at  Brooklyn’s Tropical Paradise Ballroom, November 14, 2018, which was presented by Herman Hall, Shadow’s Agent/Manager (1978-2018).   An Appreciation of Dr. Winston (Shadow) Bailey By Roger Toussaint Greetings all! I flew in this afternoon to be here and am out tomorrow because it is truly an honor to be asked to help honor our beloved Dr. Winston Bailey, The Shadow. Many of you here today are probably more knowledgeable about his work and some… Read More »An Appreciation: Dr. Winston (Shadow) Bailey, Our Conscience – Roger Toussaint [November 18, 2018]

Reading Time 1 minsSwitched on, I function As any normal human should— Work/ rest Eat/shit Read/ recreate and love— Trying to use up every minute; Do some good In my heart My neighbourhood I don’t litter or act bitter Toward thoughtless neighbours Who burn plastic/styrofoam and rubber I try to backfill empty brains Scrub off blockage; feed clarity to marginalized ears; Addressing the emptiness inside leaking skulls And shrinking hearts With my fledgling little words Offering options like: ” Is it possible to recycle?” Switched on, I struggle to find The Reset Button so that we could start over —get… Read More »The Reset Button – Garvin Stewart [November 11, 2018]

Reading Time 3 minsBDN is pleased to present the remarks of Mervyn Taylor at the launch of Dawad Philip’s “A Mural by the Sea” at Brooklyn Public Library, Linden Branch, Tuesday, October 23, 2018.                                                 Book Launch—A Mural by the Sea by Dawad Philip I first met Dawad back in the 70’s, when a mutual friend, Cora Daniels introduced us. He bore a remarkable resemblance to Bob Marley then, as he might now, if Bob had lived. He was mostly a painter at that time, in an eclectic frame of mind, his mentor being a poet/stoic named Edward English, out of… Read More »Introducing Dawad Philip’s “A Mural by the Sea” by Mervyn Taylor [November 5, 2018]

Reading Time 10 minsBig Drum Nation’s co-editor, Martin Felix’s presentation to the 2nd Annual Symposium on the Grenada Revolution, John Jay College, Department of Anthropology, Friday, October 19, 2018. Big Drum Nation (BDN) focuses on writers, artists, books – the stories of our people. So we welcome this opportunity once again to be part of this annual symposium, the proceedings of which are being published here. We want to thank Professor Rougier (aka Bro Atiba) of the Department of Anthropology at John Jay College for his commitment and consistency in pulling off this series, which is now becoming etched on… Read More »Brand New Caribbean Revolution — Martin Felix [November 3, 2018]

Reading Time 3 minsAfter my visit to Grenada earlier this year, I decided to title the 2nd Annual Symposium on the Grenadian Revolution, 1979: Freedom Hill. This idea came together because of a poem Joseph Ewart Layne shared with me called 1979. Freedom Hill is the title of another one of his poems but also the name given to a chapter in his autobiography, We Move Tonight: The Making of the Grenada Revolution. (It is also the shortest chapter in the book.) This year’s symposium featured an honoured guest (Basil “Akii” Gahagan) and four panelists (Michael D. Roberts, Laurie Lambert,… Read More »35th Anniversary of 19th October, 1983 — A.L. Rougier