Roots, racket, and redemption is just what Colin Mulligan, a tripwolf blogger and author (see some of his texts here: Laos, Malawi) went in search of this summer as he headed towards the Caribbean. He left inspired, and with hours and hours of video footage of local music from Puerto Rico to Antigua. He has been sharing his travel stories on the tripwolf blog, and now here is the trailer for his documentary, “Destination: Music.”
Tell me about the most interesting instrument you encountered.
“The most interesting instruments I came across were the ones that the slaves on Caribbean plantations constructed for themselves. Because their European masters lived in constant fear of rebellion, slaves were forbidden from any activity that might allow them to communicate, or even recall the heritage that was taken from them. Dancing and drumming were at the top of this list, so the Africans learned to fashion instruments out of things that their captors discarded, such as cheese crates, goat carcasses and old barrels of molasses. Learning about this really moved me, because it demonstrated how the human drive to create, remember and celebrate something fine is so strong that it can survive even the worst of circumstances.”
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