REX NETTLEFORD
Nettleford's importance to the Caribbean and its
diaspora derives from the fact that his master project
has been the decolonisation of the Caribbean spirit and
imagination. His writings, lectures and choreographies
reflect a profound conviction in the creative power of the
peoples of the region, a power struggling to unleash
itself from the conjunction of historical and neo-colonial
forces.
The commitment to contesting the idea of the colonial
found expression through the creation of an indigenous
dance form promoted by the National Dance Theatre
Company of Jamaica (NDTC), Nettleford co-founded and
has been artistic director since 1963.
Rex Nettleford
Louise Bennet
Beryl McBurnie
Paule Marshal
Aubrey Cummings
Martin Carter
LOUISE BENNET
Jamaicas most loved Folklorist, Writer, Artiste.
She has appeared in leading humorous roles in
several Jamaican Pantomimes and television
shows. She has traveled throughout the World
promoting the culture of Jamaica by lecturing and
performing. Although her popularity is
International, she enjoys a celebrity status in her
native Jamaica, Canada and the United Kingdom.
BERYL MCBURNIE
Beryl McBurnie(November 2, 1915 March 3,
2000) was aTrinidadiandance legend. She
established the Little Carib Theatre, and
promoted the culture and arts of Trinidad and
Tobago as her life's work. McBurnie helped to
promote the cultural legitimacy of Trinidad and
Tobago that would ultimately arm its people to
handle independence psychologically and
healthily. McBurnie dedicated her life to dance,
becoming one of the greatest influences on
modern Trinidadian popular culture.
PAULE MARSHAL
Marshall wrote a series of poems reflecting
impressions of Barbados, later, she turned to
fiction. She has published short stories and
articles in various magazines. She is best known
for her novels and collections of short stories:
Brown Girl, Brownstones (1959), Soul Clap Hands
and Sing (1961), The Chosen Place, the Timeless
People (1969), Praisesong for the Widow (1983),
Reena and Other Short Stories (1983), and
Daughters (1991).
AUBREY CUMMINGS
An important commentator has stated that the
most innovative sector of music in Guyana during
the 20th century was in the popular music/dance
music sector. These dance bands created the
soundtrack for rites of passage - falling in love,
marriage, christenings, and death. Some
personalities are indelibly associated with these
bands.
MARTIN CARTER
Martin Wylde Carter(7 June 1927 - 13 December 1997) was
aGuyanese poetand political activist. Widely regarded as the
greatest Guyanese poet, and one of the most important poets
of the Caribbean region, Carter is best known for his poems of
protest, resistance and revolution.
Carter played an active role in Guyanese politics, particularly in
the years leading upindependencein 1966 and those following
immediately after. He was famously imprisoned by the British
government in Guyana in October 1953 under allegations of
"spreading dissension", and again in June 1954 for taking part in
aPPPprocession.Shortly after being released from prison the
first time, Carter published his most well-known poetry
collection,Poems of Resistance from British Guiana(1954).
THE CUBANS
Migrants supported the 1996 Helms Burton Act
against the Castro government in Cuba.
Migrants ensure that their concerns receive
international attention: e.g. the case of the child
Emiliano received international publicity.
Cuban immigrants have influenced language policies
in some North American States:
Cuban - U.S. relations have become a U.S. national
concern. States like Miami have been transformed to
Little Havana. Cuban and Puerto Rico artists and
music have become part of US culture. Spanish is
acknowledged as the second language of the U.S.
HAITIANS
'Boat people' of Haiti and Dominican Republicthousands of people from these countries leave
and risk sea journeys to the U.S. These groups
have greatly contributed to US immigration policy
on refugees.
US navy patrols the area and these migrants have
become a priority in US domestic and foreign
policy. Some migrants do succeed and become
part of the labour force which the metropole has
been affected by the migration process.
RASTAFARI (CONTD)
Chevannes sums up the main elements of
Rastafarianism as follows: as a spiritual philosophy
Rastafarianism is linked to societies of the runaway
slaves or maroons, and derives from both the African
Myal religion and the revivalist Zion churches.
Similar to the revival movement, it embraces the
400 year old doctrine of repatriation. Rastas believe
that they and all Africans who have migrated are but
exiles in Babylon and are destined to be delivered
out of captivity by a return to Zion or Africa the
land of their ancestors, the seat of Jah Rastafari
himself, Haile Salassie I former emperor of Ethiopia.
BELIEFS
That Haile Salassie I is God
Repatriation of black people to Ethiopia, Africa is
pre-ordained
The bible of the Judeo-Christian faith offers
spiritual insights and truths about the history of
Africans
That marijuana is a sacred herb that God has
approved for the use in rituals
PRACTICES
Extensive use of the first person singular pronoun I
in their speech e.g. I and I or I man
A general withdrawal from mainstream society
(Babylon). In Maracas Trinidad there is a commune
known as the Bobo Shanti (an offshoot of
Rastafarianism) which has almost completely
withdrawn from participation in the social, political
and economic activities of the rest of society
The weaving of the hair in dreadlocks that are uncut
and enhanced using natural substances like aloes
A highly patriarchal family system and social
organization in which women play a subordinate role
EFFECTS /IMPACTS
Global appeal of Rastafarianism partly initiated by reggae
superstar Bob Marley. He helped forge tolerance and
interest in the Rastafarian cult via his music even beyond
his death in 1981. Rastafarians dreadlocks are now being
worn across the world by many persons in different walks of
life and many belong to races other than Africa. For
example in the U.S.A. some African American adopted
dreadlock to the realities of their lives, with modification to
blend it with American cultural values.
FURTHER IMPACT
The Rastafarian's brandishing of the symbol of
protest against Babylon and European hegemony
was worn on their heads, with the growing of
locks, released from their tongues, through the
creation of a new indigenized Creole lexicon, and
embodied in their walk, which valorized the kings
and queens of a regal African lineage. The
significance of their presence in the pivotal
moment of Jamaica's independence cannot be
underestimated as