Voices
from the
Hills
DESPERS & LAVENTILLE
The Steelband and Its Effects on Poverty, Stigma & Violence In a Community
BY ANCIL ANTHONY NEIL
With A Pictorial Tribute
In Memory of Rudolph Charles
A classic study of the Social, Political and Economic Changes in a Community
Copyright 2012 Ancil Neil,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-1061-6
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
THE AUTHOR
ANCIL ANTHONY NEIL is a native of Trinidad and Tobago. He grew up in the Laventille community and was a part of the young men who eventually became members and leaders of the Despers Steelband.
Mr. Neil received his primary education at Rosehill RC, Laventille RC, and Richmond St. Boys EC school. He received his high school education at Osmond Boys High School in Trinidad.
The author is a qualified Printer and Printing Mechanic. He learned the printing craft upon leaving high school. He also served as a police constable in the Trinidad and Tobago police service before leaving Trinidad in 1965 to study in the U.S.A.
Mr. Neil is the holder of several diplomas and degrees. He was awarded diplomas in Medical Technology and Histology from Allen School for Physicians Aides in 1966 and 1967 respectively. He was awarded the Associates in Applied Science degree from the City University of New York in 1972, a B.A. degree in sociology from Richmond College of the City University of New York in 1975, and a M.A. degree in sociology from Long Island University in 1975.
Mr. Neil works as a medical technologist in a New York hospital and teaches Sociology at Malcolm/King College in Harlem, New York. He is involved in several community organizations in the New York area in the struggle for African liberation and social justice.
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to all those who have gone before in the struggle for equality and recognition. It is a special tribute in memory of Rudolph Charles, Wilfred 'Speaker' Harrsion, and Donald 'he Steadman. To all the past and present members of the band and to all the people of Laventille who tell their own story in this volume.
A story of the music and the people of Africa and African ancestry. The land where the powerful drums were first beaten many centuires ago.
PREFACE
The sudden and most untimely death of Rudolph Charles the leader of Despers Steelband, has compelled me to accept the necessity to publish this book as a tribute to his memory. It will be found to be a valuable addition to his inventions and modernization of the Steelband, and the social, economic and political changes it brought about in the Laventille community.
The analysis of the Despers Steelband and its effects on poverty, stigma and violence in the Laventille community by Ancil A. Neil, is the author's master's thesis in which he explores the indigenous culture of a community in Trinidad and the significance of the music of that culture.
The Steelband is a musical band makeup of percussion instruments fashioned from 42 gallon steeldrums or barrels. It has its origin in Trinidad and was first used by musicians on the streets at Carnival time to beat out the rhythms and tempos of African, European, Calypso and native tunes. The development and modernization of this art form in the last three decades has become a major source of entertainment, dance, concert and classical music. It has also become a source of social, cultural, political and economic influence throughout the Trinidad society, the Caribbean and the world.
This is a fascinating study on a subject that has been overlooked by musicologist and sociologist alike. This work is indispensable for its tie-in of the music of the culture with the effects it has on the style of living of the people. It witnessed the growth and consolidation of a population of poor and unused African youth, confined in economic poverty and social decay, who created a modern musical art and used it to break the shackles of poverty and despair.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to acknowledge, with gratitutde, the invaluable assistance I received from the Faculty of the Sociology Department of Richard L. Conolly College, Long Island University. I also wish to thank Dr. Brig-gittee Berger and Dr. Arthur Gagliotti for the encouragement and counseling they have given me as a student.
I am grateful to Dr. James Parker, my advisor, for his help and guidance in the preparation of this study. My special gratitude goes out to the people of the Laven-tille community who made this study possible.
Ancil A. Neil
TABLE OF CONTENTS
To honour the memory of
Rudolph Charles—Pannist
CHAPTER ONE
The Laventille Community.
"A Historical Perspective"
Trinidad is the birthplace of the steelband. Its roots lie deep in a culture which embraces a wide range of folk and religious festivals, music and dance, drawn from different sources. Although influenced by the art forms of Africa, Asia and Europe, the music and dance demonstrates a richness and originality in expression and interpretation.
In the middle 1950's, poverty, unemployment and violence prevailed in the Laventille community. The steelband, a musical art form, which had taken root within this community of social decadence, was growing rapidly.
The community of Laventille or the Laventille Hills as the area is known, is situated in the southeast of Port-of-Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. It is a vast hilly area, sloping on all sides. It overlooks the entire city of Port of Spain and surrounding areas.
Historically, the Laventille Community has played a major role in the development of the island. The `Laventille Hills' were the main thoroughfare for the early colonizers, namely the Spanish, French
