Kambule comes to San Fernando

THE re-enactment of the Kambule riots comes to the Naparima Bowl, San Fernando, for one night on April 2.

Author/director Pearl Eintou Springer said although the play, which speaks of cultural resistance in Trinidad and Tobago, will be held indoors and in the evening, instead of morning when the actual events occurred in 1881, the power and significance will not be sacrificed.

The play is scheduled to begin at 7.30 pm in the bowl’s amphitheatre, instead of out on the streets, where it has been played out over the last 16 years,

Springer was at a news conference at City Hall, San Fernando, on Monday to introduce southerners to this event.

She said homage and tribute will be paid to former culture minister Joan Yuille-Williams, who had the foresight to take the script to the National Carnival Commission (NCC) and get it into production.

The play examines the lifestyle of the people of East Dry River, Port of Spain, and their motivation, as well as some of the traditional masquerades, to fight for their Carnival, and makes links with the present. The period leading up to the insurrection in 1881, when the people rose up in defence of this art, is also told in song, music and dance.

The chantuelle who sings beautifully throughout the production is Siparia-born Sheena Richardson, commonly known as Abijola. The lead male role is played by Keon Francis from San Fernando.

San Fernando did not escape the wrath of the colonisers who sought to curb the freedom of enslaved Africans and Indentured Indians, and Springer has adapted the play to tell the stories of the Jahaji Massacre and other bloody incidents in these areas.

“It is important for us to come and share this, because it reminds us that the Carnival we now enjoy and take for granted was fought for. People were willing to give their lives for Kambule. It also reminds us that we should hold on to it and not let the masquerade disappear into little brown paper packages that come from China.”

One of Springer’s daughters, Dara Healey, who is in the play and also responsible for its choreography, spoke of the bold step to take this production across the country, the Caribbean and the globe. She said this would be done through the recently formed Kambule Movement Performing Arts Company.

In 2010 the play was performed for carnival in Brooklyn.

Healey said its mission is to share stories of the local heroes who fought, some to their death, to ensure there was a celebration of Carnival. After 16 years of production, she was not sure there would be an appetite for it, she said, but was pleasantly surprised by requests for it to come to San Fernando, Tobago, and further afield. She said business owners are among those who have expressed an interest.

Given the impact it is making, Springer, a cultural doyenne, made a stirring plea for the Ministry of Education to recognise the importance of art and culture in education and make resources available.

She said a lot of work has been done in schools throughout the country, including Tobago, but they cannot do it alone.

“There must be some recognition by the Ministry of Education that the arts and culture must play a significant role in the education system. That the education system is not about getting how much O-Levels.

“Our education system is failing in significant ways to develop the personhood of our citizens. We have not redefined the curriculum to really create “we – about who “we” are.”

The play is being held under the patronage of San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello, who expressed joy that southerners will have an opportunity to experience the production.

In 2010, when he was the MP for San Fernando West, Regrello was able to have the Kambule Riots staged on Coffee Street. He said the scenario at the Naparima Bowl would be more intimate and different from that experience.

The production will also test the waters, as it is the first time it is being held out of the Carnival season. The play enjoyed a successful run at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Frederick Street, Port of Spain, as part of Taste of Carnival 2022.

Arrangements are still being worked out to accommodate full or 50 per cent capacity at the bowl. A shuttle will leave Massy All Stars panyard, Duke Street, Port of Spain, on the day of the show for people from north Trinidad who wish to attend.

Tickets are available at City Hall and E Island.