Black Rock Sea Festival

BLACK ROCK is a small fishing village on Tobago’s southwest coast, bordered on one side by the sparkling Caribbean Sea. The community’s Heritage Festival activities serve as an acknowledgement, not only of the traditions of their forefathers, but also of the symbiotic relationship that they have with the ocean that is a part of their everyday lives.

The day starts with the pre-dawn echoing sounds of a blown conch shell, signalling the start of the Black Rock Sea Festival.

Villagers, well-wishers and culture-seekers flocked to the streets as the traditional Wake-up Call procession began. This is the first ritual in a series of activities in the annual cultural event that is also about celebrating, preserving, and passing down community traditions, said a media release.

“Being able to re-enact and share these experiences of sacrifice and solidarity, with visitors and a younger generation, creates the kind of unity that continues to fuel the energy people see in Tobago’s culture, communities and commerce. For bmobile, being part of that community is to be a part of the movement to support Tobago sustaining its strong voice and character,” said Onica Blackman enterprise marketing and communications manager, TSTT, Tobago Operations.

After the procession, the festivities moved to the seaside at Courland Heritage Park for the blessing a fishing boat, and then the community and visitors joined the fishermen in the pulling of seine back to shore. Curious children peered into the net from the sidelines as it lay on the sand, examining the catch of the day before excitedly joining in the Sea Sports that continued after, the release.

“The sea festival is a community activity where the whole village is involved. Children, elders, the whole community,” stated chief co-ordinator of the Black Rock Sea Festival, Leary Paul. “We have sports going on with the children, the elders were there early this morning for the Wake Up Call. Every strata of the community is involved. This is a fantastic event that crosses generations and keeps our history alive.”

The village’s celebrations ended with a stage production later in the evening that paid tribute to the pre-colonial ancestors of Black Rock and Tobago, and sought to remember those who lost their lives at Courland Bay, during war between the Europeans and the Amerindians.

Even in their celebrations of the rituals and ancestors, the proud village still infuses the successes of their current community into their Heritage celebrations. The village is home to the current Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly, Kelvin Charles, who also took part in the Sea Festival.

The Wake-up Call procession was also joined by Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra, winner of THA Pan Champs and second-place winners in the Panorama medium bands category for Carnival 2018. The steel band played alongside traditional drummers, tamboo bamboo dancers and traditionally outfitted fisherwomen in a celebratory merging of modern and traditional performances.