In his Nobel Lecture before the Swedish Academy in Stockholm in December 1992, Derek Walcott mentioned one of the most remarkable traditional performances he had seen in Trinidad. He described the Ramleela in Felicity near Chaguanas in Central Trinidad with its amazing creativity and stressed that in beholding it he was witnessing faith, not art.
Ramleela, the most elaborate, demanding and the longest dramatic play in all the world, is designed, produced and performed, not by trained dramatists, actresses and actors, but by ordinary folk. Villagers and peasants organise themselves and come together in their villages to perform a play that is 40 hours long for ten days. They make all the costumes and props and set the stage on a wide football or cricket field. They spend months preparing and perform night after night in an example of the grandest theatrical spectacle that can be seen in the Caribbean. But as Walcott described it, all this spectacular art and effort is made possible because, for the performers, it is an act of faith.
Ramleela dramatises the story of Lord Rama and is designed to teach the principles of the Hindu religion. It is performed in the open air in many Trinidadian villages in the month before Diwali each year. It is then followed by a rich series of events that lead into Diwali. While it still flourishes in Trinidad, it has died away in Guyana, where it is only sometimes remembered in a few brief stage appearances. One of the most memorable of these was a full stage production by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha. A dramatic play, Ramlila, by Subraj Singh was a production of the National School of Theatre Arts and Drama in 2015.
There are other existing examples of folk theatre with great spectacle, which are also acts of faith, in the Caribbean. A prime example is the Hosay or Hosein, an Islamic festival still performed in Trinidad, but which has also faded away in Guyana where it used to be known as Tadja. It is a street masquerade in which Muslim devotees parade with large, highly decorated effigies and monuments in memory of the martyrdom of Hassan and Hosein, grandsons of the Prophet Mohamed (On Whom Be Peace). Here again, working people of the Islamic faith produce imposing, colourful floats to rival the artistry of carnival. The magnitude and skill depicted may be attributed to the kind of dedication that can only be accredited to religious belief.
Diwali itself is also characterised by breathtaking artistry, spectacle, drama and theatre which serve, not as simple performances, but real expressions of Hindu devotion. There is great art during Diwali. Different examples of it are driven by faith, in the performance of ritual or in public exhibition of Hindu belief. These are very vibrant in Guyana and include a colossal motorcade, the lighting of diyas, theatre, dance, music and rangoli.
It is interesting to study these traditions. The University of Guyana has been contributing to this in a number of ways. There is much ongoing research. Useful insights are gained from the investigations by Alim Hosein into the rangoli. Added to this is an annual rangoli competition on the University of Guyana Campus, which goes a long way in highlighting the artistic tradition. Kumar Mahabir also engages in related research. Studies of the festivals are part of some courses in both History and Law. Cecilia Mc Almont conducts courses which study festivals such as Diwali, Phagwah, Eid ul Azha and Youman Nabi.
In the rangoli, coloured rice grains are arranged on the ground to create pictures and symbols. It adds to the spectacle of the festival. Inevitably, these are depictions of Hindu deities, pictures showing significant scenes demonstrating aspects of the religion and pictorial symbols representing themes and sacred statements with meaning to the faith.
In the colonial era, there was continuing disparagement, disapproval and scorn heaped upon the culture and religion of the indentured servants by the colonisers. Yet they could not help admiring the skill, imagination and artistry exhibited by the East Indians in the festivals and road masquerades such as the Hosay. Newspapers of the time documented much of the hostility and degradation as well as praise for the beautiful spectacle and colour.
Exhibitions of that nature have therefore been a tradition through the history of these events in the Caribbean. In Guyana, Diwali is marked by the lighting of diyas and the motorcade. The lighting and display of the small, earthen lamps date back to the origin of the festival in India. Two purposes are known for these which gave the festival its name – Diwali (rows of lights/diyas) as well as the Festival of Lights. One is the worship of the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi, and the other is recognition and adoration of Lord Rama. This gives added significance to the practice of illumination because it is guided by spiritual belief and the lighting is a ritual that expresses it. The art that is devoted to this exhibition is driven by a dedication to the task because it is expressing what guides the devotees spiritually.
The lamps are lit as a means of inviting Lakshmi, the goddess of light, wealth and prosperity into the homes and lives of the devotees. There is also another Hindu goddess whose blessing is sought – Saraswati, Goddess of wisdom, knowledge, education and art. Because of the engagement of these deities there are certain prerequisites to the lighting of diyas in a home. These are met through rituals including the cleaning of house and premises and purification of the body through abstinence. This therefore makes the way appropriate for setting out the lights.
The lights become part of the public outreach as a popular feature of the festival in which they are not only attractive to look at, but they make a statement about the people who display them. It is a religious statement; a public show of devotion and identity as well as a celebration. That is why there is so much attention to artistry. Today, the effectiveness of this is enhanced by the use of other lights that are not traditional. To add to the diyas, various types of electric lights are used in abundance around the buildings to strengthen spectacle.
The motorcade in George-town is now the most popular element of the Diwali festival in Guyana. This is so because of its attractiveness and its exceedingly wide range of possibilities for spectacle and for the exhibition of symbols, images and scenes depicting the Hindu religion. It can be seen from many locations along the route.
The motorcade is characterised by decorated lighted vehicles exhibiting exquisite designs, effigies, tableaux, and music, all with religious significance. But a study of it becomes more interesting when the motorcade on the Essequibo Coast is considered. On the evidence of a number of years before the COVID-19 restrictions, it tended to hark back to older forms. For example, it included carts drawn by oxen or buffaloes, which gave it a quaint, old world feel. There was a preponderance of live performances by people in the vehicles singing and playing instruments, while there was also recorded music. There was also a greater proportion of live models and children playing the roles of the Hindu pantheon. It was in Essequibo that many other gods appeared, in particular Ganesh, the elephant-headed deity who is a representation of strength.
What is of greater interest is the way some of these apparently older forms have made their way back in the more modern motorcade in Georgetown. Today there are many more live performances of singers and musicians, where before it was nearly all recorded music. The majority of floats in 2022 carried live models – most of them girls and children. The scenes were dominated by illustrations from the Ramayana. There are now fewer differences between what appears in the capital city and what is found on the Essequibo Coast.
In the meantime the participants are extending the frontiers of what is possible to show with the designs of lights. These were well accompanied by the live models in last week’s display, but the variety, artistry and grandeur in the 2022 motorcade have substantially increased. In an age of modernity and technological dominance, it is instructive to see reflection back in time.
The festival appears to be becoming more inclusive with participants keen to bring in families and children. Closer attention seems to be paid to what is popular outreach, but with religious expression still as effective as possible. It is not just performance. It is faith.
