Rudolph Eastman Explores African Roots Of Carnival In New Book, Mas Is Ah Jumbie
Going back to the very beginning and capturing the true essence of how Carnival came to be.
Author Rudolph Eastman is preserving the role of African spirituality in Carnival in his latest book, ‘Mas is ah jumbie.’
At the official book launch at the Central Bank Museum on Monday, High Court Judge and former journalist Justice Kathyann Waterman-Latchoo painted a candid picture of the body of work.
« Mas is ah jumbie is a study of the African influence and, in particular, the Orisha traditions on steelpan, Kaiso, the masquerade. It tells of the African biogenetic memory that lives in the calypso genre, in the refrain, rhyme, and rhythm, in the bandleader’s inspiration, in the masking, the kalinda, the stilt walkers and so much more. »
Researcher, activist, and author of Mas is ah jumbie, Rudolph Eastman, said the book took nearly a decade to come to fruition, noting it provides crucial insight into the Mas Art, one he admits is needed.
« Trinidad is very special, but part of the problem with Trinidad is I don’t think that the people understand the Mas Art as it connects with Africa, and that is because of the whole Eurocentric struggle to get rid of it. »
Chairman of NALIS and Trinidad and Eastern Caribbean representative of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, Dr. David Muhammad, welcomed the reintroduction of the historical element of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival.
« Many of the younger generation would have the impression that this is more of a festival celebration, even national party, more so than a period where we were celebrating our emancipation, breaking the chains of enslavement, coming out of a system that denied us human rights. What better can there be to celebrate than that change? »
Mr. Eastman says he hopes to preserve the sanctity of Carnival through his continuous research.
