Bongo Herman — The Sacred Drum
Being a master Nyabinghi drummer in Jamaica brings you close to the essential rhythm of the Caribbean. Simon Lee talks to Bongo Herman to find out what it's like
Issue 41 (January/February 2000)
In the 41st issue of Caribbean Beat, the first of the new millennium, learn about the changing gender dynamics of Trinidad calypso with Michael Goodwin; the skill of former WI fast bowler Michael Holding and the life of the prolific Dr. Samuel Johnson from Frances Parkes. Nazma Muller probes Jamaica’s traditional stereotypes to come to terms with the ‘real’ Jamaica while Simon Lee tries to do the same by talking to master Nyabinghi drummer Bongo Herman. Plus all the latest in Caribbean music, literature, events and sports.
Carnival Countdown (Part 2)
Your complete guide to this year's Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, the first of the new millennium. What happens, what to do, how to join in; costumes, fetes, mas' bands, steel orchestras, Panorama, calypso tents, soca and chutney, Kiddies' Carnival, Calypso Monarch, J' Ouvert...It's all here, together with the story of how it all came about and glorious pictures of last year's festival
Miss Bobby and the Tarantula
Writer Simon Lee went on assignment to Guyana's hinterland, all full of excitement. Until he realised he'd missed the boat
Johnson’s Gentleman — Francis Barber
Dr. Samuel Johnson: poet, critic, wit, essayist, playwright, author of the first comprehensive dictionary of the English language — here was one of the towering figures of 18th-century English life and literature, immortalised by his biographer Boswell. But but behind Dr. Johnson, serving and supporting the great man in his endless projects, was a little-remembered figure from the Caribbean: Francis Barber, of Jamaica. Barber's extraordinary role in Johnson's life is recalled by Frances Parkes
Jamaica: the Romancing Rock
Everyone knows about Jamaica, right? The gorgeous north-coast beaches, Montego Bay and Negril, wonderful resorts, the rhythm of reggae and the visions of the Rastafari, James Bond and Noel Coward, rafting down the Rio Grande... But hold on - how much of this touches real Jamaican life? Journalist Nazma Muller, who has lived and worked in Jamaica, probes beneath the familiar stereotypes, and recalls times and places which brought her face to face with a different reality
Carnival Countdown (Part 1)
Your complete guide to this year's Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, the first of the new millennium. What happens, what to do, how to join in; costumes, fetes, mas' bands, steel orchestras, Panorama, calypso tents, soca and chutney, Kiddies' Carnival, Calypso Monarch, J' Ouvert...It's all here, together with the story of how it all came about and glorious pictures of last year's festival
Holding pattern — Jamaica’s Michael Holding
It’s been 12 years since Michael Holding’s retirement from Test cricket. A key member of Clive Lloyd’s feared pace quartet and the legendary West Indies team which dominated world cricket for over a decade, Holding has since forged for himself a successful career as an international commentator. But, like so many other things, that was never really in his plans: Mikey never meant to lead such a charmed life. Georgia Popplewell reports
Singing Sandra: One Voice from the Ghetto
Woman power of calypso? Even though Calypso Rose once won the calypso crown in Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival– the first woman ever to manage it, 22 years ago in 1978– the men usually rule the stage. But last year Singing Sandra won the Calypso Monarch competition, singing song for Healing and Voices from the Ghetto. The men had to take a back seat. Michael Goodwin explains how the tables were turned
In the Rain Forest of the Mind
The Palace of the Peacock, Wilson Harris’s deeply poetic exploration of the soul of Guyana, may not be easy reading, but it’s well worth the effort. James Ferguson explains
