'Augus' Fair', a cultural feast

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Augus' Fair and Culinary Expo, held on Monday was more than a day of festivity. It was a lesson on many aspects of Jamaican culture. There was authentic Jamaican cuisine and traditional folk forms in dance, speech and music for patrons to enjoy.

The fun-filled day was held in celebration of the 170th anniversary of emancipation. Against the backdrop of fine weather, the event got off to a slow start. But, as the day progressed, the aroma of different foods intensified and the pulsating sounds of music got stronger and the ever-swelling crowd filled a transformed Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre.

There were two lanes of colourfully decorated booths supported by a variety of games and rides for children, a towering media lounge and a matching stage, strategically placed to form a quadrangle.

The stage, decorated in the colours of the Jamaican flag and facing west, was the showcase of Jamaica's traditional folkforms, inherited through the infusion of African and European experiences.

These forms came alive in three concerts, and were performed by students and club members, all of whom were national finalists in the recently held JCDC Festival of the Performing Arts.

European touch

Europe's presence came in the form of the quadrille dance performed by students of Denbigh Primary and St Theresa Preparatory, and a folk solo performed by Trevelle Clarke of Spot Valley High. Clarke gave a very mature and beautiful rendition of how to roast the breadfruit and yellow yam. Costumed in coloured bandana, the young dancers of St Theresa and Denbigh skilfully demonstrated three of the five figures of the quadrille.

Manchioneal Cultural Group, Deeside Cultural Group, Innswood Drummers, Malika Drummers and Jomo Dixon of Ardenne High brought Africa to the forefront, with some fantastic performances.

Dixon was captivating with his story-telling technique, the two drumming ensemble, with their uniquely arranged pieces and different types drums were engaging, while Deeside was compelling in dancing the Tambo and mesmerising with the Kumina dance. Through the entertaining pieces done by Manchioneal, the subtle difference between the dinki mini and kumina became apparent.

Contemporary Jamaican cultural form was also part of the lesson and came via dub poetry. In this category, the message was strong. Clan Carty Primary were passionate in their plea for Jamaican men to Tek A Stan and to "work wid the women". "Missa man grab a cutlass and plant a seed". Southborough Primary school ended their dub piece entitled Driva with a graphic tableau of a bus crash.

The entertainment component of the fair was punctuated with a fashion show, a presentation by Albert Brown champion Flair Bartender for Jamaica, Latin America and the Caribbean, lots of giveaways and culminated with a performance from Kharuso, the 2010 festival song winner.

The culinary expo component of the event was just as informative as well as filling. The food items included 'Bussu Soup' (indigenous to Portland), jerk dishes, old-time corn and potato pone, prepared on the traditional coal stove, cassava bammy, without preservatives and live demonstrations on the making of peppermint candy among others.