Commentary
All right Healy
All right Healy
“His Majesty has appointed special magistrates for the purpose of protecting the apprentices, yet these Magistrates are at the same time ordered to do justice to the Employers, and in particular, to punish those apprentices who neglect or imperfectly perform their work , who are guilty. of insolence or disobedience, or deserting or running away from the service of their employers.”
Extract from the Emancipation Proclamation, Port of Spain Gazette
Culture was at the heart of the resistance to slavery and the struggle to regain freedom.
As they danced, sang and practiced the kalinda, thoughts of rebellion were never far from the captives’ minds. Africans did not expect anyone to lobby on their behalf. In 1673 there were revolts in Jamaica and Bermuda. In 1735, island-wide resistance in Antigua. In Tobago, 1770 and again in 1771. In Trinidad, 1805.
So far, I have counted about 75 acts of resistance throughout the Caribbean, the most recent of course being Haiti. It rebelled in 1791 and by 1804 was completely freed from the terror of slavery.
In 2024, why should any of this matter?
At 6 am on August 1, our organization will present Freedom Morning Come, a ritual act by Eintou Pearl Springer, as part of the Emancipation Support Committee’s Emancipation celebrations.
On the show we ask, “What you gonna do with yuh freedom, allyuh? What will you do when he comes?”
Increasingly, as we face existential threats from climate change to disease and war, our understanding of freedom needs to be broken down into bite-sized actionable items, a checklist we can work towards.
We must begin this new approach to freedom with an understanding of the power of culture to overcome injustice. The enslaved were very clear that brutality and cultural erasure were not what they wanted for themselves or future generations. They fought, tirelessly and in every possible way. In Bermuda, poisoning plots have been documented for more than ten years, from 1720-1731. Here too, the poisoning of the masters and their animals has occurred.
The culture and talents of the enslaved were used to try to counter such acts of resistance. Begorrat, infamous planter by Diego Martin and respected member of an official poisoning commission, created songs, or Cariso, to reinforce his image and incite fear.
A Gros Jean calypso song contained sentiments such as:
Begorrat and Diab’la, he is a strong, cruel and evil Begorrat: “Begorrat and the devil are one/Begorrat strong, cruel and evil.”
But the songs that motivated and built the community survived. This recalls the terrible journey between Africa and the Caribbean –
For me, MinKoongo/Cho lolo/Zinga, go, go: “Stand firm, Koongos/Hold the ropes tight/Survive, earn a reputation/Shine.”
Escape was another form of resistance supported by African culture.
The Underground Railroad in the US was a fully functioning network, designed to help fugitives get to places like Canada or Mexico. Stories are told of devices such as songs and specially woven hair to confuse informants.
In TT, the Yoruba belief that the soul would be able to fly home was fundamental.
It is there in the legend of Gang Gang Sara from Tobago and in songs from Trinidad. A captive on one of the slave ships sang, I have opened my eyes/Mother knows/I am with me: “I turn my eyes/To the mother I belong/Don’t follow me” – before I jump, fly home.
Protecting their ancient belief systems was an essential aspect of guaranteeing the freedom we enjoy today. The Yoruba and others exploited the similarities that emerged in Christianity. For example, they led craftsmen to believe that they were praying to Saint Michael, who was often depicted holding a sword, when in fact they were honoring Ogun, the Yoruba deity of iron and steel, who carries swords or cutlasses.
The Emancipation Proclamation brought no freedom except for children under the age of six (implying that employment of older children was acceptable). However, throughout the Empire, Africans resisted learning through their own culture and active rebellion.
These are the voices and strategies that must lead our story of emancipation. It’s time to stop diminishing the power of culture to bring about change.
From 4am on Emancipation Day, let the drums of our African and other peoples around the country sound as we honor the power of culture. Let it be a drum call like no other as we call positivity in this space. Let it be a drum call for peace, love and true freedom.
Dara E Healy is a performance artist and founder of the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN.
