With a Banjo On Her Knee
Robert Barnett
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
The people of Baragua, Cuba lost an important form
of music three years ago; but it was returned to them this past summer by a class
of high school students from Ontario, Canada.
Baragua is an English-speaking, West Indian community in Cuba, which traces its earliest
history to the last century and which treasures its West Indian roots. The community
still enjoys maypole dancing and West Indian song, and one of the unique aspects
of the community was their banjo music. However, three years ago, through an accident
with the neighbourhood ox, the only banjo in Baragua was destroyed.
It is difficult to retain one's minority language and culture within a very large
and dominant culture. Children prefer to speak, read and play as the "other"
children in the community, and so it takes effort for parents and communities to
make learning a heritage culture enjoyable for young people. Experience tells us
that one of the most powerful tools of cultural retention is music; indeed, we can
all relate certain music to key moments in our lives, and know that simply hearing
that music can cause us to re-live those memories. Thus, for the people of Baragua,
the loss of the banjo was significant.
Last June, a group of art students from Earl Haig School in Toronto, Canada participated
in the Eleggua music and dance workshop in Cuba. In addition to the gift of music
which the students received from their Cuban colleagues, they also received the deepest
thanks and most heart-felt appreciation of an entire community for the gift of a
banjo. The banjo was acquired by the teachers and students and was carried to Cuba
on the knee of Anne Galligan, a professor at North Eastern University. It was presented
by Professor Galligan on behalf of the students to the elders of the community in
the community hall, which was decorated with scenes of cricket players and maypole
dancing.
Today, the sound of the banjo is once again part of every Baragua celebration.
Small exchanges such as this are one of the great rewards of working with the Eleggua
Project -- not great international projects, but simple help between peoples. Among
all the academic exchanges, research projects and conferences organized by the Eleggua
Project, this simple gift remains one of our strongest memories.