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    Voices from the Hills: Despers & Laventille: The Steelband and It's Effects On Poverty, Stigma & Violoence In a Community
    Voices from the Hills: Despers & Laventille: The Steelband and It's Effects On Poverty, Stigma & Violoence In a Community
    Voices from the Hills: Despers & Laventille: The Steelband and It's Effects On Poverty, Stigma & Violoence In a Community
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    Voices from the Hills: Despers & Laventille: The Steelband and It's Effects On Poverty, Stigma & Violoence In a Community

    By Ancil Neil

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    About this ebook

    The steelband and its effects on poverty,stigma and violence in a community.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublishereBookIt.com
    Release dateApr 26, 2016
    ISBN9781456610616
    Voices from the Hills: Despers & Laventille: The Steelband and It's Effects On Poverty, Stigma & Violoence In a Community

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      Book preview

      Voices from the Hills - Ancil Neil

      review.

      THE AUTHOR

      ANCIL ANTHONY NEIL is a native of Trinidad and Tobago. He grew up in the Laventille community and was a part of the young men who eventually became members and leaders of the Despers Steelband.

      Mr. Neil received his primary education at Rosehill RC, Laventille RC, and Richmond St. Boys EC school. He received his high school education at Osmond Boys High School in Trinidad.

      The author is a qualified Printer and Printing Mechanic. He learned the printing craft upon leaving high school. He also served as a police constable in the Trinidad and Tobago police service before leaving Trinidad in 1965 to study in the U.S.A.

      Mr. Neil is the holder of several diplomas and degrees. He was awarded diplomas in Medical Technology and Histology from Allen School for Physicians Aides in 1966 and 1967 respectively. He was awarded the Associates in Applied Science degree from the City University of New York in 1972, a B.A. degree in sociology from Richmond College of the City University of New York in 1975, and a M.A. degree in sociology from Long Island University in 1975.

      Mr. Neil works as a medical technologist in a New York hospital and teaches Sociology at Malcolm/King College in Harlem, New York. He is involved in several community organizations in the New York area in the struggle for African liberation and social justice.

      DEDICATION

      This book is dedicated to all those who have gone before in the struggle for equality and recognition. It is a special tribute in memory of Rudolph Charles, Wilfred 'Speaker' Harrsion, and Donald 'he Steadman. To all the past and present members of the band and to all the people of Laventille who tell their own story in this volume.

      A story of the music and the people of Africa and African ancestry. The land where the powerful drums were first beaten many centuires ago.

      PREFACE

      The sudden and most untimely death of Rudolph Charles the leader of Despers Steelband, has compelled me to accept the necessity to publish this book as a tribute to his memory. It will be found to be a valuable addition to his inventions and modernization of the Steelband, and the social, economic and political changes it brought about in the Laventille community.

      The analysis of the Despers Steelband and its effects on poverty, stigma and violence in the Laventille community by Ancil A. Neil, is the author's master's thesis in which he explores the indigenous culture of a community in Trinidad and the significance of the music of that culture.

      The Steelband is a musical band makeup of percussion instruments fashioned from 42 gallon steeldrums or barrels. It has its origin in Trinidad and was first used by musicians on the streets at Carnival time to beat out the rhythms and tempos of African, European, Calypso and native tunes. The development and modernization of this art form in the last three decades has become a major source of entertainment, dance, concert and classical music. It has also become a source of social, cultural, political and economic influence throughout the Trinidad society, the Caribbean and the world.

      This is a fascinating study on a subject that has been overlooked by musicologist and sociologist alike. This work is indispensable for its tie-in of the music of the culture with the effects it has on the style of living of the people. It witnessed the growth and consolidation of a population of poor and unused African youth, confined in economic poverty and social decay, who created a modern musical art and used it to break the shackles of poverty and despair.

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

      I wish to acknowledge, with gratitutde, the invaluable assistance I received from the Faculty of the Sociology Department of Richard L. Conolly College, Long Island University. I also wish to thank Dr. Brig-gittee Berger and Dr. Arthur Gagliotti for the encouragement and counseling they have given me as a student.

      I am grateful to Dr. James Parker, my advisor, for his help and guidance in the preparation of this study. My special gratitude goes out to the people of the Laven-tille community who made this study possible.

      Ancil A. Neil

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      To honour the memory of

      Rudolph Charles—Pannist

      CHAPTER ONE

      The Laventille Community.

      A Historical Perspective

      Trinidad is the birthplace of the steelband. Its roots lie deep in a culture which embraces a wide range of folk and religious festivals, music and dance, drawn from different sources. Although influenced by the art forms of Africa, Asia and Europe, the music and dance demonstrates a richness and originality in expression and interpretation.

      In the middle 1950's, poverty, unemployment and violence prevailed in the Laventille community. The steelband, a musical art form, which had taken root within this community of social decadence, was growing rapidly.

      The community of Laventille or the Laventille Hills as the area is known, is situated in the southeast of Port-of-Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. It is a vast hilly area, sloping on all sides. It overlooks the entire city of Port of Spain and surrounding areas.

      Historically, the Laventille Community has played a major role in the development of the island. The `Laventille Hills' were the main thoroughfare for the early colonizers, namely the Spanish, French and British. The following, documented in `Spanish Trinidad' by Carlton Ottley, confirms this:

      "The only road on the island which was wide enough to be called a carriage road connected Port of Spain with St. Joseph, the ancient capital, and ran over the Laventille Hills in an easterly direction, passing through `John John' and upper Laventille, then after skirting the mangrove swamp at the base of the hill, went through 'movant' into San Juan and ended in St. Joseph."¹

      "Sir Walter Raleigh was bent on avenging the death of his faithful lieutenant Whiddon, whose destruction deBerrior had plotted. Led by the Indians, Raleigh and the soldiers marched over the Laventille Heights, passed through the Indian settlements that dotted the trail, and in this manner, arrived at San Jose, the capital made of trash houses and mud ajoupas.² A bridle road running over the Laventille Hills connected the town with St. Joseph."³

      From these accounts, it is obvious that the Laventille Hills were a strategic area in the development and defense of the ancient and present capital. One of the most significant marks of the country's defense is a circular fort some thirty feet high, constructed by Governor Picton to ward off invasion. It contained a secret entrance which was connected to the fort by a tunnel. The people called it Picton's Folley. The fort still stands today as a tourist attraction.

      Since those early days the community of Laventille has expanded and developed into an urban slum area in Port of Spain.⁴ The people of this community suffered from the hardships of poverty, unemployment and social stigma. They have been labeled hooligans, violent and illiterate. The people of Laventille have been degraded and rejected by the ruling and upper classes in the society. In a word, they have been ostracized from the Trinidadian society.

      As a result of this degradation, the people of Laventille also suffered from a negative self-image, and a lack of motivation which prevented them from utilizing opportunities if presented for self improvement.

      Low wages and chronic unemployment created poor housing conditions, crowding, and a low level of literacy and education. The lack of effective participation and integration of these people in the major institutions isolated them from the larger society.

      In the period between 1955 and 1965 the `steelband; a form of musical art, came into full focus in the Laventille community. The progressive improvement of this new art in this community created a new era in the history of steelband music. Rapid social changes occurred which revolutionized the community and attracted national attention. This new sound in music, originating from this underprivileged, poverty-stricken community, was the signal of hope for the unemployed, destitute and stigmatized population. The 'ugly duckling', so heartily despised by the establishment, had turned into a swan and a source of fierce national pride.

      As a member of this community who had experienced the full impact of the changes that took place, I observed that the social ills in the community were completely ignored by the Government in power. Most families were experiencing the most severe effects of poverty. Violence was a mark of frustration for the majority of young people, and the community was labelled as the worst in the country.

      I also observed that the growth and success of the steelband had become a catalyst in the community. It seemed to be the only inspiration and motivating force. It was through these observations this study was undertaken. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether the growth and modernization of the steelband was really the true catalyst for the changes that took place in the community of Laventille within the period 1950 to 1965.

      The search for literary works on the community proved futile. To date, nothing has been written specifically. This community was only mentioned in other works done on the country as a whole. However, I reviewed the entire history of the country, including the steelband and related subjects. This was done to gain a broader perspective and better understanding of the topic. Incorporated in this study are the following features:

      1. A brief description of the community under study.

      2. A historical perspective of the community depicting indigenous people, class structure, religion and socio-economic changes.

      3. A description of technique and research methods used for collecting data.

      4. An assessment of poverty, violence and social stigma in the community.

      5. A historical and analytic discussion of the steelband.

      6. The social impact of the steelband in Laventille and entire community.

      Data for the study was gathered from the following sources:

      1. Informal Survey

      Interviews in the form of casual conversations from members of the community and members of other communities.

      2. Formal Survey

      Non random sample comprised of interviews with selected families and steelband members.

      3. Historical literary works on Trinidad and Tobago.

      4. Magazines, reports and booklets on Trinidad and Tobago, and the steelband.

      5. Reports from the Servol organization based in the community.

      6. My personal observation as a member of the community.

      CHAPTER TWO

      Researching The Community

      THE COMMUNITY UNDER STUDY

      Geographical Boundaries

      Because of its unique location and physical structure, the geographical boundaries of Laventille are difficult to define and, at times, the subject of controversy.

      According to a report dated 1970, it is difficult to define the geographical area of this community. The report also outlined that there was no such thing as the Laventille area.⁵ The report reasoned that certain common features which normally define a community do not exist within the geographical boundaries that demarcate Laventille. Instead, the area had divided itself into a series of small pockets which operate as entities.⁶ These pocket-areas were formerly associated with different steelbands.⁷ A rough division of these pocket-areas are identified and defined as follows:

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