Grande Discurso, Pequena Ilha: A Speech Band de Tobago na Poesia Falada e Tradições Orais
Publicado 2026-03-26
Palavras-chave
- Tobago,
- Speech Band,
- poesia falada,
- tradições orais
Como Citar
Copyright (c) 2026 IYARIC
Este trabalho está licenciado sob uma licença Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Resumo
A Speech Band, em Tobago, é uma forma de arte popular, teatral e de oratória apresentada em eventos comunitários, competições culturais, e festivais de tradições de patrimônio cultural. No entanto, essa forma de arte tem sido criticamente omitida dos estudos acadêmicos sobre a genealogia da poesia falada caribenha contemporânea. Apesar de sua importância na produção cultural de identidades em Tobago, a Speech Band sofre de negligência epistêmica dentro da área de Estudos Caribenhos, dominada por narrativas de Trinidad e padrões literários centrados na cultura impressa. Nesta discussão, combino pesquisa de arquivos, conduzida em bibliotecas de patrimônio nacional tanto em Trinidad quanto em Tobago, com entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com praticantes e organizadores culturais. Argumento que a invisibilização de Speech Band é sintomática de uma dupla marginalidade: as dinâmicas políticas e culturais desiguais entre as ilhas gêmeas e a periferização de tradições orais dentro do cânone literário caribenho.
Referências
- Bassi, Karen. 1997. “Orality, Masculinity and the Greek Epic.” Arethusa 30 (3): 315-340 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/are.1997.0017
- Brereton, Bridget. 2007. “Contesting the Past: Narratives of Trinidad and Tobago History.” New West Indian Guide/Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 81 (3&4): 169-196 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/22134360-90002480
- Brown, Stewart, Mervyn Morris and Gordon Rohlehr. 1989. Voice Print: An Anthology of Oral and Related Poetry from the Caribbean (eds.). Kingston, Jamaica: Longman
- Donnell, Alison. 2020. “Caribbean Literature and Literary Studies: Past, Present and Future.” In Caribbean Literature in Transition, 1970-2020, edited by Ronald Cummings and Alison Donnell, 405-425. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108564274.029
- Elder, J.D. 1986. “Report on the Conference.” In Report: Conference on Culture and the Cultural Heritage of Tobago, held at Mt Irvine Bay, Sept. 10th - 12th, 1984, edited by Tobago House of Assembly, 7-10. Tobago House of Assembly
- Gallien, Claire. 2020. “A Decolonial Turn in the Humanities.” Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics 40: 28-58
- Healy, Dara. 2022. “Hai! Is Speech Band Time.” Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Published June 25. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://newsday.co.tt/2022/06/25/hai-is-speechband-time/
- Healy, Dara. 2024. “How King Speechmaker Saved His Village.” Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Published December 21. Accessed February 1, 2025 https://newsday.co.tt/2024/12/21/how-king-speechmaker-saved-his-village/
- Hernandez, Edward. 2004. “The Role of Heritage Festivals in Society: Tobago Heritage Festival.” Conference paper delivered at the Carnival Studies Colloquium, Centre for Creative and Festival Arts, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, February 22-27, 2004
- Job-Caesar, Oris. 1987. Drag Yuh Bow Mr. Fiddler! Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago: Gloria V. Ferguson Limited
- Job-Caesar, Oris. 1990. Vignettes of Tobago. Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago: Gloria V. Ferguson Limited
- Leith, Charlie. 1986. “The Tobago Speech Band.” In Report: Conference on Culture and the Cultural Heritage of Tobago, held at Mt Irvine Bay, Sept. 10th - 12th, 1984, edited by Tobago House of Assembly, 66. Tobago House of Assembly
- Luke, Learie B. 2001. Identity and Autonomy in Tobago: from Union to Self-Government, 1889, 1980. PhD. dissertation, Howard University
- Morris, Mervyn. 2003. Making West Indian Literature. Kingston, Jamaica: Ian Randle Publishers
- Pemberton, Rita. “The Speech Bands of Tobago.” Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Published August 4. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://newsday.co.tt/2022/08/04/the-speech-bands-of-tobago/
- Robinson, A. N. R. 1986. “Official Opening of the Tobago House of Assembly Conference on Culture.” In Report: Conference on Culture and the Cultural Heritage of Tobago, held at Mt Irvine Bay, Sept. 10th - 12th, 1984, edited by Tobago House of Assembly, 5-6. Tobago House of Assembly
- Rohlehr, Gordon. 1989. “Introduction: The Shape of That Hurt.” In Voice Print: An Anthology of Oral and Related Poetry from the Caribbean, edited by Stewart Brown, Mervyn Morris and Gordon Rohlehr, 1-23. Kingston, Jamaica: Longman
- Spencer, Rhoma. 1988. “Tobago Festival Missed its Mark.” Trinidad Express. Published September 16, 1988, p. 9 Trinidad Guardian. 1989. “Festival Preserves Artefacts.”
- Trinidad Guardian. Published November 14, 1989, p. 13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/pb.13.1.14
- Trinidad Guardian. 2012. “Three Historians to be Honoured at Tobago Word Festival.” Trinidad Guardian. Published September 16. Accessed April 26, 2025. https://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.430879.28bba9cc7b
- Wegner, Jarula M. I. and Amanda McIntyre. 2021. “There Was No Book to Tell You Anything About This: Al Ramsawack and the Oral Archives of Caribbean Folklore.” Journal of West Indian Literature 29 (1): 11-25