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Patois, Steelpan, East Indian, African and First People rhythms … All these and more are part of the play ‘Harmony in Diversity’, written and directed by Eintou Springer. The play was originally showcased in St. Kitts & Nevis in 2000 as this country’s presentation for Carifesta. In 2018, Idakeda is reviving the play to share with the national public and across the tourism industry.

As we seek new ways to energise other industries to lessen our dependence on the energy sector, Harmony in Diversity presents us with an opportunity to showcase wholesome entertainment for the entire family, while celebrating our complex mix of cultures and heritage.

Keep checking this space for information about where you will be able to see performances of Harmony in Diversity!

Contact Idakeda directly to book Interventions or Workshops for your organisation, school or community or to purchase our educational videos, books and DVDs. Your contributions go towards our community programmes, cultural events and the work of our NGO, ICAN – the Indigenous Creative Arts Network.

‘Survivor – A Collection of Plays for Children and Young Adults’ by Eintou Pearl Springer, has been approved for inclusion on the school curriculum by the Ministry of Education. The book is a compilation of her theatrical productions, poetry and original works and is now available to teachers and students of Theatre Arts for teaching purposes and performance.

‘Survivor’ is available at Paper Based book store, Hotel Normandie; Metropolitan Book Store, Port of Spain, Blue Edition book store in Tunapuna and from Ms Springer. In the UK, Survivor is available through Peepal Tree Press and in Barbados, from the UWI Bookstore.

Stilt walking, painting and wire-bending are just some of the exciting activities on offer at the Zanté! Carnival and Theatre Arts vacation camp this year. The camp, a project of the non-profit arm of Idakeda – ICAN, the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – boasts a new location and new activities. Additionally, the camp will run for three weeks instead of two, and will be held at #63 Carlos St., Woodbrook, from August 6^th -25^th.

The main objective of the camp is to ensure the long-term survival of the traditional Carnival Arts of T&T by teaching about Carnival Arts, traditional Carnival Characters and indigenous folk forms. The camp encourages the participation of vulnerable youth, so members of the public are encouraged to sponsor the attendance of a young person in need.

The Zanté camp caters for children ages 6-12 years old. The cost is TT400 per week, per child; two or more children TT350 per child. For further details and to register please contact 753-0798, visit our website or like our Facebook, Indigenous Creative Arts Network.

‘The Art and Practice of the Story’ is the name of the programme that will be taught by Eintou Pearl Springer as one of the mentors in the ‘Mentoring by the Masters’ series, an initiative of the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts. Every year, the ministry selects a number of veterans in the field of culture, the arts and heritage to impart their knowledge to citizens.

Other mentors in the 2018 edition of the programme include Wendell Manwarren, Meiling, Felix Edinborough and Dr. Suzanne Burke.

Eintou’s programme will revolve around the story of Ogun, the Orisa God of war, but also, intriguingly of creativity, metal and wealth. This story, during the course of the project, will be transposed into a play to be presented as a performance piece.

Participants will also be exposed to stories from three sectors of our multi-faceted society – First Peoples, Africans and Indians. Additionally, there will be a focus on storytelling and resistance; the case of Anansi will be explored.

Keep checking this space for photos and updates as we explore ‘The Art and Practice of the Story’ with Eintou!

From 1917 to 1951 the Spiritual and Shouter Baptist faith was banned in Trinidad by the colonial government of the day. The legislation to enact this ban was called the Shouters Prohibition Ordinance and it was passed on 16 November 1917.

The reason given for the ordinance was that the Shouters made too much noise with their loud singing and bell ringing (Henry 32-35) and disturbed the peace.

During worship, participants danced, shouted, shook and fell to the ground in convulsions. Such behaviour was deemed unseemly by the more traditional and conservative elements in the society. Also, the established churches regarded such behaviour as heathen and barbaric.

Furthermore, they were concerned about the large number of people who were leaving the traditional churches to join the Spiritual Baptist faith. The police, who had been persecuting the Baptists for several years, also wanted them silenced.

Although not said openly, the real reason for the antagonism towards the Baptists was that many of their practices were of African origin. Things African were associated with the shame and degradation of slavery and a large part of the population of Trinidad did not want to be reminded of this. Hence the strong lobbying to have the religion banned.

In the end, the colonial government responded to the complaints of the taxpayers, landowners and police by passing the Shouters Prohibition Ordinance.

Those thirty-four years of prohibition were difficult for the Spiritual and Shouter Baptists. The ordinance forbid them from erecting or maintaining any “Shouter House” or from holding meetings. Estate managers and owners were required to report any meetings to the police, and the police were authorized to enter a building where a meeting was being held without a warrant. (See full-text of Ordinance).

Worshipers were arrested, beaten and jailed if they were caught practising their religion. They had to flee to the hills and forests to practise their religion. Even then, the police still pursued and brutalized them. Nevertheless the Spiritual and Shouter Baptists survived. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Baptists fought many court battles and tried to counteract the negative perceptions of their faith.

It was only when Tubal Uriah “Buzz” Butler emerged as a labour leader that attitudes towards the Baptists gradually began to change. Butler himself was a devoted Baptist and controversial figure. His public meetings were reminiscent of a Baptist prayer meeting. His prominence gave the religion some legitimacy although he too was jailed for his political and religious beliefs.

During the 1940s a new leader emerged to champion the Baptists’ cause. Grenadian-born Elton George Griffith started a campaign to have the Shouters Prohibition Ordinance repealed. Under his leadership the numerous independent Baptist Churches formed the West Indian Evangelical Spiritual Baptist Faith.

In 1940, as a united body, they presented a petition to the Legislative Council asking for the Ordinance to be repealed. It was not granted but a few years later Albert Gomes asked the Council to appoint a committee to look into a repeal of the 1917 Ordinance. A committee was formed but it took several years before it released its findings.Meanwhile Griffith and his followers continued to lobby members of the Legislative Council to support the repeal.

Finally, after much lobbying, the bill to repeal the ordinance was passed on 30 March 1951, as The Repeal of Shouters Prohibition Ordinance. The Spiritual Shouter Baptists were free to practise their Religion.

The year 1996 saw another victory for the Spiritual Shouter Baptists in their fight for recognition. The United National Congress (UNC) Government granted them an annual public holiday. This holiday is celebrated on the anniversary of The Repeal of Shouters Prohibition Ordinance, 30 March, and is called Baptist Liberation Day, in memory of the struggle for, and repeal of, the Shouters Prohibition Ordinance of 1917. In addition, the Baptists were granted twenty-five acres of land in Maloney to build churches, schools and a spiritual park.

The granting of an annual holiday has given the Spiritual/Shouter Baptist faith status and recognition in Trinidad and Tobago. Members no longer have to hide to practise their religion but can worship openly like other religious groups. Membership is growing. Today, the religion is practised not only in Trinidad and Tobago but also in other Caribbean islands, as well as other countries to which Caribbean people have migrated, such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

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Photos of Eintou and poets from all over the world who took part in the Festival.