The Standing History of Afro-Diasporic Traditions In Trinidad & Tobago
Location
PANEL: Third Year Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Panel
Wilder 101
Document Type
Presentation
Start Date
4-28-2023 2:00 PM
End Date
4-28-2023 3:00 PM
Abstract
Through Afrocentrism and Creolization, this project examines redefinitions of the narratives of Caribbean people. As a pannist of Trinidadian descent, I bridge gaps between practitioners, scholars, and intellectuals outside of the academy and explore Caribbean narratives through a more nuanced perspective. In the African Diaspora, many forms of music and physical expression embody liberation, emancipation, and resistance. In Trinidad, these forms manifest in rich traditions such as carnival, spiritual shouter practices, stick fighting, and the creation of steel pans. These forms make it possible to see the effects and consequences of Afro-Trinidadians negotiating communal and private space under British colonial rule. Analyzing African Diasporic traditions enables the understanding of effects of power, privilege, and oppression in the continuum of slavery and settler colonialism. My research uses textual, musicological, and ethnographic analysis of the development of African Diasporic traditions in Trinidad & Tobago. Investigating the roots of the mentioned traditions from enslavement onwards allows for a detailed mapping of anti-colonial and revolutionary efforts in Trinidad & Tobago in a way that uplifts and respects the intellectualism of diverse populations and forms of expression.
Keywords:
Music, Physical expression, Colonialism
Recommended Citation
Martin, Chudi Jr., "The Standing History of Afro-Diasporic Traditions In Trinidad & Tobago" (2023). Research Symposium. 15.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/researchsymp/2023/presentations/15
Major
Africana Studies; Environmental Studies
Project Mentor(s)
Charles Peterson, Africana Studies
2023
The Standing History of Afro-Diasporic Traditions In Trinidad & Tobago
PANEL: Third Year Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Panel
Wilder 101
Through Afrocentrism and Creolization, this project examines redefinitions of the narratives of Caribbean people. As a pannist of Trinidadian descent, I bridge gaps between practitioners, scholars, and intellectuals outside of the academy and explore Caribbean narratives through a more nuanced perspective. In the African Diaspora, many forms of music and physical expression embody liberation, emancipation, and resistance. In Trinidad, these forms manifest in rich traditions such as carnival, spiritual shouter practices, stick fighting, and the creation of steel pans. These forms make it possible to see the effects and consequences of Afro-Trinidadians negotiating communal and private space under British colonial rule. Analyzing African Diasporic traditions enables the understanding of effects of power, privilege, and oppression in the continuum of slavery and settler colonialism. My research uses textual, musicological, and ethnographic analysis of the development of African Diasporic traditions in Trinidad & Tobago. Investigating the roots of the mentioned traditions from enslavement onwards allows for a detailed mapping of anti-colonial and revolutionary efforts in Trinidad & Tobago in a way that uplifts and respects the intellectualism of diverse populations and forms of expression.
