The Know Your Caribbean Podcast

In this episode we explore the first written record of a Moko Jumbie - a stilt walker - in the Caribbean. Through the exploration of the record we cover the arrival of 3 Slave ships from 3 different parts of Africa, life of the Kalinago and Garifuna people as their land is slowly yet violently being taken away, African music and masquerade, and how 440 African children were separated from their families and sent to Saint Vincent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1840's Saint Lucia the tides have turned for Black women on the island. Abandoning the plantations that enslaved them, they took to the streets as sex workers taking agency over their bodies. White priests ventured not into the depths of the countryside to indoctrinate the Christian faith, and so in the enclaves of the countryside, African spirituality prevails. Here we uncover an obsessive man who seeks the help of an Obeah man to conquer an infatuation, which leads to murder.Mid episode music by the people of Oleon, Deanery Saint Lucia, near Mabouya Valley Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drawing on the observances from writer Charles Day, we look at the beautiful traditions of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, in the 1850's and how illegal slave trading assisted in African cultural preservation in Carnival, and so much more. Link to Charles Day's book - Five Years Residence in the West Indies : https://archive.org/details/fiveyearsreside02daygoog/page/n269/mode/2up?view=theater Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing of our interpretation of Charles Day's book - Five Years in the West Indies, we head to Saint Vincent to hear a detailed description of an Igbo stilt walker, jumbles, life of indentured labourers and much more about Caribbean customs we still have today,See Below for further reading notes : https://thevincentian.com/a-brief-historical-overview-of-the-portuguese-in-st-vincent-and-the-grenad-p20809-133.htm#:~:text=Between%201845%20and%201850%2C%20about,only%20one%20or%20two%20years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reading excerpts of Charles Day's book - Five years the West Indies, this highly racist account of life in the Caribbean unintentionally captures the beauty of Black people in the Caribbean. Show notes for references:Buckra - buckraNOUNbuckra, buckrasderogatory US, West Indian A white person, especially a man.OriginMid 18th century from Ibibio and Efik (m)bakara ‘European, master’.Music via on YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.