Dept. of Creative Economy, Cultural Heritage, St. Kitts: – The inaugural Griot brought wonder to the faces of the children, heritage-worthy questions to the minds of the adults as well as heartwarming memories to the seniors who attended the Department of Creative Economy – Cultural Heritage’s traditional storytelling event on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at the Shadwell Greathouse.
The grounds of the former plantation house were transformed into a scene reminiscent of the 1940s, 50s and 60s when residents of St. Kitts and Nevis worked hard during the day and spent the hours of dusk and after entertaining their children and themselves with stories and songs that brought laughter, awe, suspense and sometimes dread to the listeners. Borrowing from the West African tradition, that evening was dubbed Griot, which means storyteller/musician and featured Griot Leonard Stapleton, who told a historical story centred around the Buckley’s Uprising, Griot Loughlin Tatem, who told Jumbie Stories and Griot Kesha Isaac-Adams who said the Children’s Stories.
With dim lighting against the backdrop of gigantic letters spelling the word GRIOT, the first storyteller, Griot Stapleton, weaved the tale of January 28, 1935, Buckley’s Uprising of the formerly enslaved sugarcane workers, he addressed the disunity among the former enslaved (house slaves as opposed to artisan slaves as opposed to field slaves) and noted that the uprising was a means of protesting against the rampant poverty, the subjective removal of their wooden homes from estate lands into the streets and the refusal of the Buckley’s Estate owners to pay the workers their December salaries and the highly anticipated Christmas bonus. These conditions, he said, fuelled Buckley’s Uprising that eventually spread to other British Territories, including Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados and Belize, where workers were experiencing similar grievances. Griot Stapelton’s presentation had a modern appeal as it also featured a picture slide-show representation of his subthemes and appropriate Calypso, Reggae, Wilders and Soca.
Griot Tatem kept the audience in animated suspense with his Jumbie stories, some of which he claimed were true. He also had audience participation as he led in the calypso “Jumbie Fire,” like his colleague true to form with the West African Griot, who would always include music and song in their tales.
Griot Kesha kept the young ones in the Children’s Corner, anticipating her every phrase as she told them stories such as Anansi and his children and various other tales to capture their attention. They were then given tips on how to create their own stories before putting their newfound skills to the test.
One young shining star, Zuri McDermott, won the top cash prize, while Jahvincia Gumbs and Aiden Lewis won two additional cash prizes.
The top cash prize was donated by the Minister responsible for Sports and the Creative Economy, Honourable Samal Duggins, who held a lively discussion with the children and addressed the adults gathered on the storytelling grounds. He reminded everyone that it is important to safeguard the traditions of the Federation, including storytelling, noting that it is a way of preserving our history. He also emphasised the importance of documenting this history.
Griot awakened the curiosity of all who attended, reminding them of the rich history of St. Kitts and Nevis, the intrigue associated with it and the importance of passing it on to current and future generations. The next Griot will take place in early 2025 and will bring the storytelling tradition to another community in the Federation.