By Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
Students performing in last year's JCDC Festival competition. - File
THE ANNUAL folk fair Pepperpot, staged by The Jamaica Folk Singers in association with the Jamaica Library Service, was held at the Sts. Peter and Paul Church, 120 Old Hope Road, on Saturday.
Performances were rendered by the Jamaica Folk Singers, The Society for the Blind Singers and students from both the Claude McKay High School and the Clonmel Primary and Junior High School.
The Jamaica Folk Singers kicked off their set by greeting 'one and all'. Then the authentic Jamaican harmonisers delivered Long Time Gal, which was met by rounds of applause from the small gathering. The Folk Singers then shifted their focus a bit and stirred up the appetites of those present with Mango Time.
Next up was Jerimiah, which echoed across the auditorium and pulled back the olden days of courting. The choreographed moves and gesticulations by the group helped to emphasise the message of the song.
The stage was then turned over to the students from Claude McKay High School. They performed the poem Enslaved by Claude McKay. They were the voice of the literary genius himself, as they cited the stanzas of the poem.
Her fellow students departed and left the stage to Sherica Lewars, who read and excerpt from My Green Hills of Jamaica, again by Claude McKay who was born in Clarendon on September 15, 1889. It was a very valiant effort by the young miss, considering the odds. She had to compete with the noisy children and their constant moving of the chairs.
This was accompanied by a deafening high-pitched sound that the microphone gave off every time she went close to it. Subsequently the technical glitch was rectified by musicologist and folklorist Dr. Olive Lewin. Miss Lewars paid little or no attention to the annoyances and confidently completed her piece.
Lician Reynolds, another student from Claude McKay High School, performed the poem December 1919 by McKay.
The next performers were the students from the Clonmel Primary and Junior High School, who were the recipients of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's highest honour, the 'Marcus Garvey Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts' at this year's staging of the festival.
Their performance gave the day's activities a shot of adrenaline in the arm. Their first offering was a quadrille dance which featured eight students, with both sexes equally represented. The boys wore straw hats and the girls wore multi-clouded head wraps. Their spirited performance was good enough to put a lid on the noise level and capture the attention of the children.
After that lively performance, the students exited. However, they returned in different costumes and this time around, the original eight had help. They delivered an exciting rendition of the Maypole. Each performer held a ribbon that was attached a pole as they all danced with vibrancy.
The student's displayed a level of professionalism that had to be lauded after a ribbon that was held by one of the boys burst. They never stopped dancing, they just leaned the pole toward him and he with the assistance of a couple of the young girls attached the ribbon to the pole again. They weaved in and out like spiders until the performance was completed.
Yesterday, the group left the island for the 'Caribbean Is Alive Festival' to be held in Columbia. Those present were then treated to a performance from the members of the Society for the Blind Singers. The performers who were all dressed in red tops, sang and danced to several songs. Some of which made mention of 'roots to strengthen the young man back and cure young girl fever'.
Other interesting features included a display corner which featured some of the works of 'Jamaica's literary standard bearer', Claude McKay. There were also booths erected on the lawns outside that showcased the making of and then sold candy, bammies and other delicacies. Books and other items were also on sale.
