Interview Day 1
Holy crap this was a long day! We spent the morning at TMACC and then hit
the road to start interviewing some notorious musicians from Grenada. We didn’t finish until close to 7pm!
For people who have been to the Caribbean,
you would appreciate the windy narrow roads where anything and everything
travels on it – kids, scooters, bikes, people of all sorts, goats, dogs,
roosters etc. So imagine driving up and down these roads on the edge of cliffs
with lush greenery on either side. Then
the driver takes a right and we are on a 45 degree incline straight up the side
of the mountain, avoiding pot holes and missing the edges of houses and
cars. We stop and pull in front of a
small building, and a man greets you at his door – it is King Ajamu! Now, that name will not spark any huge crowds
in Canada I am sure, but his guy is a very famous and accomplished
international musician. His website describes
his accomplishments a bit more than I can:
He welcomed us into his recording studio
and the students immediately started working.
They set up their video cameras, nominated an interviewer, started
taking notes and listened as King Ajamu told his story. This was a very surreal experience.
We had a similar experience 2 more times
with other musicians…so hard to explain in words. Nonetheless, the students
were experiencing a type of applied learning that really can’t be duplicated. I learned so much today as well.
I had a fabulous chance to get to know our
faculty hosts better today. I heard
stories of when they were children and how they experienced the US invasion in
the 1980’s. I also connected with Louisa
and found out that she has a big interest in Vinland (the Viking settlement in
Northern Newfoundland). She and I will
be sharing contact info so I can send her information and photos from my trip
there a couple of years ago.
The next 2 days will be full days of
interviews and connecting with Grenadian culture. On the weekend we will be travelling to Carriacou. Lorin grew up in Carriacou, and her parents
still live there. She wants us to
experience the island and meet some musicians from this island. Here is a website to provide some insight:
I am exhausted and ready to get some rest
for the next part of this adventure.
I will leave you with some random photos
and a head shot of Elwin “The Black Wizard” McQuilkin – another insightful
gentleman who we met today:
Wow! Sounds like you had a long and fun day!
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