CARIFESTA '72


CARIBBEAN DATC.,S

La Brisquatte, the Guadeloupe Folk Group under Mrs. Aimee Adeline has been in
existence for 28 years an.i has rrrresented Guadeloups on many international occasions: at the
Puerto Rico Festival in 1962, EKpo in 1967, Trinidad in 1968, and France and Germany.
Their folklore allet has two parts: first, 3-amboula, in working outfit. In part 2
the girls dance together showing off their costumes -and exotic makeup.
S U R I N A M
One cannot think about Surinam without thinking of Javanese food or handicraft or
Gamelan music. The Javanezs were brought to Surinam by the Dutch as indentured labourers from
1890 on to work on the sugar plantations. This immigration stopped in 1925.
Many Javanese kept Indonesian nationality af er Indonesia became independent, but they
are an important section of tho Surinam people and well on the way to total integration.
The Surinam Comfo religion is widely practiced among the town and plantation Africans.
It has a system of Gods of the soil like the mother of the earth Mama Aisa, Leba, Fodu, Apuku,
Kumakti, Loko, Dagwe, Tngi, ebri; Gods of the waters like Wenu, Papa Ingi, Barinja, Watra
Ingi, Sekula, Sefari; Gods o:f the air like Jaw, Opete3, Adjaini, Awese, Djisri.
These Gods can be personal Gods, as well as .art of the soul, the Kra. They all have
their own songs and dra:a rhythms, and their own costumes and dance steps. This Blaka Boeba
(black skin) group consists of young men who often perform at Comfo religious sessions at the
outskirts of Paramaribo. 'T'he crums used are the Pinti, carved by Bushnegroes.
TRIIT I DAD

The members of Trinidad Southern Academy are dancers, singers, and musicians with
years of experience. 'e Ac-,demy aims at engendering a sense of poise and self-assurance in
its students developi?,g; muscular structure and coordination leading students to a deeper
understanding and appreciation of dance as an art form.
They present a an. Can Creo3 e Dance, the Jharoo or Broom Dance, Calypso Time, Steel-
band Music, King Sailor i anc- and Carifta Time with nore Trinidad Calypso.
S T. K ITTS
St. Kitts wrs the fi--st permanent West Indian colony of two of the great colonial
powers England and i'an.ce The folk art which evolved in St. Kitts is therefore a synthesis
of African with English a. Th>nh.-h elements, and sometimes traces of Carib influence. Nevis,
by its close proximity to St, iitcs has evolved a similar tradition (without, however, the
French influence) although th-r are local peculiarities.
Every Christmas in St. Kitts and Nevis, from Boxing Day to Pew Years masquerade
troupes or "sports" par-_oe t o, streets in the towns and villages. On New Years Day all sports
converge on Basseterre. This tradition of Christmas masquerades stems from the days of slav-
ery when the African bondeamer., given a few days from their years' toil, would celebrate the
holy occasion by donning masks and costumes to imitate and satirize their masters.