Giles in Antigua: Day 6

Hello fellow readers (hehehe)... not much to report today, so I thought I'd give you the history of the steelpan (many refer to it as a steel drum).

Unfortunately, most of the Caribbean was a slave trading region. Steelpan music all started in Trinidad, with their large poplulation of West Africans. In 1797 when Trinidad became a British colony, the English feared that the slaves would transmit code from plantation to plantation via their animal skin drums. The animal skin drums were an integral part of their African religion. In an effort to "prevent riots" and to dissolve the African religous practices, both the slave owners and Catholic Church banned this instrument.

In 1834 when the slaves were freed, they were unable to celebrate using the skin drums, they reverted to hollowed-out bamboo trunks. Eventually this too was outlawed. Their entire faith, known as the Shango religion, was driven underground except in districts were people openly rebelled and kept drumming. These people lived in extreme poverty and were not given the same resources as the rest of society, they were considered to be outcasts. With the keen curiosity to continue making music, the townspeople made due using materials found in everyday life - milk cans, paint cans, car hub caps, garbage can lids, and bisquit pans. The first steelpan (or drum) was found in a manufacturing plant where many of the townspeople worked. This single drum changed the course of music history. This group who were considered to be underpriveledged and unfairly titled as "violent" youths used this music as an escape. The social stigma remained with the music for many years, but eventually this became their outlet for self expression. Today it is not just a sound, but it is a respected around the globe. It is the Caribbean!