African societies have placed great worth on the oral tradition because it is the receptor and conveyor of feelings, history and culture. The oral tradition generated memory that has passed from generation to generation. In Trinidad, the enslaved Africans who resided here passed on this tradition which we embrace in calypso, speech bands of Tobago, the pierrot grenade, the midnight robber. For the younger generation, however, spoken word is the mode of expression to discuss issues that affect them.
This evening, spoken word takes the spotlight at the Kwame Ture Memorial Lecture Series at the National Library, Port-of-Spain. Listed to perform are Kern Solomon, Jabari Lynch and Akil Warner.
Orators and poets will present under the theme Youths Speak Out: Stand Up for Justice. Pieces will be centred around the issues and challenges young people face within the context of the International Decade for People of African Descent and the ongoing Caribbean struggle for Reparations.
Members of the Circle of Poets will offer their points of views in rhyme and prose. The Circle of Poets is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting national awareness and appreciation for poetry as an art form by encouraging people to develop their talent and writing skills.
Solomon has been composing songs and writing poetry since his childhood. He said: "At an early age I developed a love for reading. It was through reading I was able to enter a world of words and free myself from all the madness that surrounded me at the time. I would often read biographies of social activists such as Martin Luther King. Steve Biko, Malcolm X and many others, and would be fascinated by their ability to change their nebulous situations through the use of words."
His work is filled with spirituality and, at the same time, he hopes to create an analytical generation with his words. So far he has produced two CDs–Every Emotion and Experience. Solomon performs regularly at open mics and at other poetry forums.
Lynch is a spoken-word poet who uses his gift to carry Christ-centred lyrics to the people. He is in his final year as a History major at the University of the Southern Caribbean. To him, Africa is a song that he cannot help but hold dear in his heart. He walks the earth in hope of pleasing God and making his ancestors proud.
Warner is a 24-year-old History graduate from La Puerta, Diego Martin. He is an avid reader and cites some of his literary influences as Albert Camus, Oscar Wilde and Charles Dickens. He is also a music aficionado and is particularly fond of Tupac Shakur and Damien Marley. He combines his two interests to create a work that is lyrical and rhythmic. His work often examines the issues that plague the African Diaspora and proposes solutions to these problems. He hopes, above all, to discover a means by which the African Diaspora can become a global force that is powerful and influential.
Also performing on Thursday night is Damian Whiskey, who will be in his alter persona, the Midnight Robber. He has been portraying this traditional mas character since 1989 from the age of ten. Mentored by the late Andrew "Puggy" Joseph and Brian Honore, over the last two decades Whiskey has performed for the presidents and prime ministers of T&T, as well as kings and queens, foreign leaders and ambassadors alike. As the youngest veteran in the business he hopes to spread and encourage the growth and resurgence of the traditional mas characters.
Youths Speak Out: Stand Up for Justice is part of the Emancipation Support Committee of T&T's observance of Emancipation 2015. The session starts at 7 pm at Nalis and admission is free.
More Info
The group meets every first and third Wednesday at City Hall, Port-of-Spain, at 5.30 pm. For more information on the Circle of Poets, check www.circleofpoetstt.org
For further information, call the ESCTT Secretariat (628-5008) or (494-2247) or visit on Facebook at Emancipation Support Committee.