“font-family: Verdana; line-height: 13px;”>St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica – “Da do dada do dodo,” sounded the big drum. “Da do dada do dodo,” responded drummers from different regions of the festival grounds. The main show had begun.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Jamaica
Emancipation Jubilee 2011 shouted and called to the ancestors in
grand style. From 6 p.m. July 31 until 6 a.m. August 1,
Emancipation Day, Seville Heritage Park in St. Ann’s Bay rocked the
night away amidst the ambiance of a 17th Century sugar
plantation. A packed crowd sang, laughed and cheered as performers
graced the stage showcasing the best of what traditional Jamaican
folk heritage had to offer.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Complimenting the theme “Let the Drums Speak,” the stage was transformed into a large djembe drumhead which was truly powerful. Several pre-show acts demonstrated the different types of drum techniques used in the evolution of Jamaican music. Ska, mento and reggae beats resonated out across time and space to make all things old new again.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>A pause in the beat allowed time for several young pageant contestants to hone their spokes model skills by greeting and welcoming the audience reverently and graciously. Cute tween and teen girls glided elegantly across the stage to the microphone and pranced confidently back to the wings off-stage.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Then, from the wings, two extremely funny elder masters of ceremonies kept the stage lively between performances. They imparted knowledge of local trivia and history, flavorfully spoken in what a St. Louisan may call “thick” patois. Audience participants were given plentiful opportunities to win gifts donated by sponsors for knowing the answers to questions about pre-Emancipation history.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Those histories burst into color and sound as each national folk performing company called the drums to speak. The drums invoked the spirit of the dancers to perform Bruckins, Dinki Mini, Kumina and the Quadrille. This year’s Emancipation Jubilee also included dancers from the Republic of South Africa, dancing contemporary as well as traditional Zulu choreography and the Gumboot Dance. One of the performers informed the audience that the Gumboot choreography’s encoded messages were communicated quickly to inform the workers of possible trouble brewing like, “The baas is coming.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Africa
ongoing presence remained strong in the minds of all Jamaicans.
Throughout the evening, many comments alluded to a simple fact that
peoples of the Diaspora often do not honor their heritage in the
way that Jamaicans do on a daily basis. It was upon the
self-determined resilience of its African descendants that
Jamaicans forged innovative changes in their existence, since the
emancipation of 1838. A ritual of the evening included a salute to
270 slaves whom perished on the plantation site. The audience
honored them with 270 seconds of silence in tribute. Four large
floral arrangements were placed onto the African tomb,
approximately 50 yards from stage right, draped ceremonially with
long strips of green, gold, and black cloth, as found in the
Jamaican flag.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Flags across the festival grounds waved in the marketplace stalls, even in the light sprinkle of rain threatening to dismantle an undeterred audience. Vendors offered Jamaica-wear, local foods and rums, informational pamphlets, books and even Emancipation Jubilee tin mugs. All night long, lines cued for hot chocolate. Hot chocolate in hot weather is used to heat up and then cool down the body on a hot night.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Cooling down may have been only something needed for the audience, because the stage was hot, hot, hot! The Jonkonnu masqueraders jumped like wild fire all over the stage. The motion transformed into a heavy gyration of hips as the partnered dancers began to wind and grind. By midnight, a reenactment of the reading of the emancipation order mesmerized the crowd. Emancipation Day was in full swing until dawn.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>So in admiration of those who walk to their own beat to make the drums speak, the Jamaican Emancipation Jubilee is definitely an event not to be missed. Since UNESCO has declared 2011 the International Year of People of African Descent, this event made for an outstanding addition to the list of global tributes to the ancestors this year. “Ya mon!”
