IN A small but celebratory function, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) conducted its closing ceremony for its first certificate course in the traditional folk forms.
The ceremony was held at the St. Ann's Anglican Church Hall, St. Ann's Bay, St. Ann on Thursday.
The 12-week course was conducted by the JCDC in association with the music unit of the Phillip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, which provided accreditation for the course.
Five folk forms were selected to be the focus of this first run of the course. The 35 persons who participated in the course were schooled in Revival, Kumina, Ettu, Tambu and Brukins Party. In giving her overview of the course, Course Director D. Joyce Campbell noted that its aim was to provide a "cadre of trained personnel who can continue its (the traditional folk forms') development." As such, the course largely targeted teachers although other interested persons could also participate.
VARYING SCHOOLS
Most of the participants came from varying schools across the island, including basic schools, primary, junior high and all-age schools. Two students from the School of Dance also participated, along with other members of cultural groups.
Due to the emphasis on the continued development of the folk forms, learning preservation and research were key elements to the course. During her remarks as one of the lecturers at the course, Marjorie Whylie noted that teaching, costuming and make-up were also important aspects of the course. She noted that it was important that the participants learn to use make-up to 'accentuate' their features rather than create 'caricatures'. She also noted that the participants were taught to use discarded things to make their props.
TUTORS
Along with Marjorie Whylie and Joyce Campbell, the course had a panel of tutors comprised of musicologist Lilieth Sewell, musical director of the University singer Noel Dexter, master drummer Ras Happa and JCDC dance co-ordinator Linneth Richards. Along with these qualified persons, varying groups which excelled in the varying forms were also utilised in the course for practical demonstrations. To demonstrate their recently acquired expertise, the participants presented the five folk forms which had been taught in the course.
The general sentiment from all the speakers at the event was that the continuation of the course is of serious importance to the country's development. Sydney Bartley, the Director of Culture in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture, noted that the folk forms were not merely for the stage. He argued that they were instead for the 'stage' of life and are to be used in the battle against 'Americanisation'.
Bartley noted that Jamaica needs to engage its children in a process of 'smaddification'. He argued that we need to teach them the validity and importance of their culture. He pointed out that one cannot stop either the Internet or cable, but what must be done is that the children be securely grounded in their culture.
