Grenada jab jab mas’ and music culture origin is West Africa
By Hudson George
I have done my research on African culture and found out that Grenada’s jab jab masquerade has its roots in West Africa. Therefore, as Grenadians, we should be very proud to know that we have some West African traditions as part of our culture and as long as we exist as a people and nation, the tradition must continue. As long as we protect and preserve it.
Basically, our jab jab mas’ and music highlight is always a major highlight in Grenada Carnival celebration. As a matter of fact, since the days of slavery on the plantation, when Grenada was under French rule. However, the tradition continued after the British took control from the French as our last colonizer up to 1974, when Grenada became an independent country.
The jab jab mas’ and music always attract the majority of citizens to come out on the street during carnival celebration. The build up to carnival starts when jab jab mas’ players organised themselves throughout the different villages and practice to dance and compose songs for the two days carnival celebration on the streets. For example, skinny Banton song, “Soak it” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pEXRwbTAhY shows how organised the jab jab culture is. His lyrics in the dong tell a story about the jab jab culture.
Based on my research looking at video documents on West African cultural festivals and the various traditions they portray. I saw the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mryIfuVej2k from Cameron. It is very similar to jab jab mas’culture. Therefore, I come to the conclusion that our jab jab mas’ culture definitely has its origins in West Africa and it as remain as it is , on the street of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique during our carnival celebration. There is nothing else that can change in the jab jab culture because it is historical.
In addition, in my research, I came to realise that Africans on Cape Verde Islands carnival and their version of masquerade is very similar to Grenada jab jab. This video of Cape Verde Carnival. For example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD3DCNluLBI&feature=youtu.bethis tells it all.
Additionally, I was in Grenada for the entire year 2007 and I used to travel from my village Hermitage and go to Sauteurs town, which is about four miles inside the northern parish, St. Patrick, on a regular basis. I travelled to just go sit down on the incomplete jetty and look at the activities on the sea water, where the fishermen anchor their boats. The environment on the jetty was peaceful and the breeze coming from the sea was an enjoyment to me.
Most of the time I visited the jetty, there was an elderly man from Prospect village, who used to come on the jetty to catch fish as a form of recreation. One day the elderly man told me some stories about jab jab culture and how Grenadian drummers made a fusion from different style of drumming during nation dance celebrations to create a new version of jab jab music that we enjoy today. Based on the story he told me, it is evidential proof of the fusion of jab jab music.
As a matter of fact the elderly man told me he is a Spiritual Baptists priest. He told me that some of the biggest nation dance festivals used to take place on Isle de Ronde, which is a small island outside Sauteurs town, where people do farming and fishing for their livelihood.
The reason why I wrote this article is make Grenadians aware that we must not divert from our culture and follow what is popular in the other Caribbean countries that have bigger populations than us. We must preserve our culture.
The roots of jab jab culture in the rural communities is very important as the La Fillette jab jab band portrays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuo11F51UOk
However, I end this article with this video of jab jab masqueraders dancing street theatre during the carnival. Indeed, they beat traditional jab jab drum that can move the soul of Grenadians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzEXNbqWV3c And I know they are the Tivoli Drummers moving the biggest jab jab band in St. George’s. Therefore, it is very important to keep the jab jab culture deep in the roots that lies in West Africa.
So, let us continue to play a wicked jab, Tallpree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0bg1Mgxbjk
