![]() ReAshored explored the big, complex question still plaguing us after all these centuries of living in Jamaica: How can we be reassured, confident, rooted after our forced migration, after our stripped names, after our stolen drums, after our colonial encounter with Europe in the Americas? ReAshored steps in to remind us that our cultural memory is more powerful than Christianity’s punishments. The QUILT collective never shies from probing the trauma that underlies our identity struggles in this New World. Arguably, this stunning Rayon McLean directed show, was a true revolution, with everyone –including the plot– swirling around Shango and his ability to connect to and communicate with his loves, his past, his culture, his people. Portrayed by actor-drummer Donald Mamby, Shango drums at the center of the stage and the center of the photo. Thinking about it now, it is clear that the Orisha was on my side. This blurry red and white image is how I unintentionally recorded a powerful Shango scene. I was so wrapped in the actors’ performances that I failed to focus the lens of my phone’s camera. “Ignite the blood and set fire to the house that iniquity built” were the words I used to caption an image I uploaded to my IG account (see below). ![]() But at the Philip Sherlock Centre, I did take in ReAshored by the performing arts collective QUILT. I was unable to experience the amphitheater performance of Shango at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. And, Shango’s name has been called down a lot in Jamaica as of late.Ī couple of months ago, Shango was called to the Jamaican stage not once, but twice. ![]() And while +70% of Jamaicans identify as Christian, Jamaica still has citizens who call Shango’s name religiously. Despite the Jamaica Tourist Board’s use of Rastafari culture to sell Jamaica as a vacation pick, very few Jamaicans identify as Rasta (see pie chart). Notably, though, Jamaica is not included on the list of Caribbean countries known for Yoruba practitioners. In all of these religious manifestations, Shango is venerated for his strength and aggression. Follow me as I explain.Īs a Yoruba Orisha, Shango’s worship begins centuries ago in present-day Yorubaland (Nigeria, Benin, Togo) and extends west via the Atlantic slave trade where it survives to this day in Haiti’s Voudou, Brazil’s Candomblé, Cuba’s Santería, and in the Shango Baptists of Trinidad. Over twin “Shango” posts, I’ll explore some of my curiosity. Shango has announced himself in Jamaica quite a bit lately, and now I cannot help but find his manifestation everywhere. We must listen to the thunder’s clap, the fire’s crackle, the roar of storms and of war, for these are the representations that are synonymous with the red and white Yoruba deity. If we are to hear him, we must listen to the beat of the drums, for they are Shango’s symbol. If Shango calls, it means that nature and the ancestors are talking. However, when we are born into the world, all of our plans and promises are forgotten and so our destiny, in effect, becomes to remember and claim the destiny we mapped out for ourselves before our arrival in this life. ![]() We decide before we ever arrive on earth what we will contribute to the world, where we will live, who we will love, and even the day we will die. In the Yoruba belief, “ before we are born, we stand before God and choose our own destiny.
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