Charles Town Conference and Festival chock-full of entertainment

It was billed as five days of academic discourse, rituals, ancestral veneration, cultural explosion and entertainment, and the 15th International Charles Town Maroon Conference and Festival, held from Wednesday, June 21 to Sunday, June 25, inside the Charles Town Maroon village in Portland delivered.

While patrons and stakeholders absorbed it all, it was the entertainment value that stood out somewhat above the rest. Even the activities and rituals that were not generically entertainment, were themselves very captivating at points. These included the Yucahuna Kachi Arieto (Yamaye Taino Solstice Celebrations) by the Buff Bay River, which runs through the village, and the morning session of the Ancestor Quao Day celebrations on Friday, by the Spanish River at Spring Garden in the said parish.

The vibe got stronger during the afternoon session when Carol ‘Fofie’ Miller, director of Sankofie, compèred in her inimitable way after the blowing of the abeng by Maroon Captain Rodney Rose. Rising reggae singer, the fast-becoming pride of Charles Town, Maroon Captain Delano ‘Ras Padam’ Douglas was the first entertainer to hit the stage. His well-received set was a sign of things to come.

Coming right after him was another Charles Town resident, the mystical chanteur, Akin Sanya, as provocative as ever. The master of metaphor and other literacy devices was riotous in his characteristically calm and blasé, yet powerful style, uttering words that caused some people to blush, smile or laugh out loud. He was deliberate, and subliminally subversive, making his set one of the most memorable of the entire festival, and he was back at it the following night around the bonfire.

The energetic and mesmerising Charles Town Maroon Drummers, Dancers and Singer hypnotised and dazzled onlookers, before Dr Amina Blackwood Meeks, storyteller par excellence, and founder and artistic director of the Ntukuma Storytelling Foundation of Jamaica, brought folk hero Ananse into the equation. But, she was not only entertaining with much dramatic aplomb, she was also educating, putting Ananse in context, giving him his credit as a wiseman, and not as a trickster, as people are wont to regard him.

In one of her provocative utterances, she bantered multiple Festival Song winner Roy Rayon, who was in the wings waiting. And when it was his time in the spotlight, Rayon responded to the friendly jab, if ever there were one, before delving into a string of old Jamaican hits. It was time for some members of the audience to dance, the older ones ‘dropping legs’. The exuberant reaction to Rayon’s own hits, to which some people sang along, spoke volumes of the climactic end of the festivities of day three.

Day four consisted of the presentation of academic papers and their attendant discussions, which preceded the global premiere of Reimagining Nanny, a documentary by Dr Leo Douglas, assistant clinical professor/faculty fellow in residence at New York University. The film looks at National Heroine Nanny of the Maroons “in her broader significant real and symbolic roles as a shaman of the forests, healer, priestess and protector of the springs and watersheds, and commander of energies of the earth, creatures, mountains and valleys of the Blue and John Crow Mountains of Jamaica”, Dr Douglas said.

After the screening, the River Park was lit up by a massive bonfire to set the pace for the ‘Bun Fyah’ concert, where many fading stars’ careers were reignited; some rising stars were burnt beyond recognition, glowing like dying embers; and where some stars, crackling like the smithereens of the orange/red flames of the bonfire, were born.

Fire dancer and eater Ray Hamilton brought his usual heat and amazement, while the incredibly talented contortionist Sir Dads was a picture of awe and admiration. Yet, the highlight of the night was the spirited singing, drumming and dancing around the fire led by Moustafa Reds and Friends, and Linval and the African Descendants. The mountain that towers over Buff Bay, too, was enthralled as it stood still listening like a sentinel in the dark.

Sunday, the final day, was one of speeches and greetings, interspersed with performances. The singers, drummers and dancers from the three Windward Maroon villages, Scotts Hall, Charles Town and Moore Town, were riveting in their distinctive styles. Ras Padam was back with his refreshing brand of reggae. Moustafa Reds and Friends, too, returned with more drumming, with contortionist Sir Dads being one of the friends.

At one point, he left his drum to twist and bend his agile body while balancing himself on a chair that was resting on four bottles. Fire dancer Ray Hamilton took over his drum. All eyes in the Asafu Yard were fixed on them, and after Sir Dads resumed his drumming, Hamilton, as lithe as Sir Dads is, danced with an energy that belied his seniority. There was more energy from the junior and senior Charles Town drummers and singers as they closed the 2023 event with a thrilling fanfare of drumming virtuosity.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com