WITH ALL the economic strife and crime that currently battles to tear the country apart the arts have been a significant part of setting an independent Jamaica on the world stage. Even when the result is controversial it can only serve to highlight the impact of Jamaican culture on the global landscape.
So, not surprisingly, the annual Independence Day Parade on the lawns of King's House included an eclectic slice of the Jamaican entertainment landscape and cultural history. Clonmel Cultural Club's rendition of the Brukins Party was a feature of this.
OUR ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
The dance, which originated on Emancipation Day points to the folk retentions that remain evident in the society as well as the nature of Jamaica's history as it establishes the links between our artistic expression and our freedom, as well as our historical status as a part of Britain.
The Clonmel Cultural Club has been particularly successful in that breeding ground of culture, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's performing arts festival, particularly in the traditional folk forms. In this year's competition the group earned 13 gold medals and several trophies. Their Brukins Party dance had also been well received by the judges. Even so, another layer of refinement had been added to the dance to allow it to suit the occasion even better.
INSTRUMENTALS
Independence morning is also a time for patriotism and so Dr. Curtis Watson delivered I Saw My Land in the Morning. The celebration of Jamaican beauty was also effected by Paulette Bellamy on violin. Bellamy, who is also pianist, composer and arranger delivered O'er Our Blue Mountains and Jamaica Land of Beauty the latter of which was beautifully accentuated with the inclusion of congo drums. The Methodist Chorale also delivered a dose of patriotism with Hither the Lord has Led Us.
The morning also featured Jamaica Popular Song 2005 finalist Peter Gayle who delivered A New Day. The highlight of the morning, however, clearly came from the mouths of babes. Two girls of Lucky Valley All-Age their experimental speaking ensemble piece, the hilarious Beggy Beggy.
- Tanya Batson-Savage
