By Donna Pinnock
“To make Jamaican Folk Culture a way of life shared by the world”
Proud Jamaicans living in Bristol united in their love for and motivated by the desire to keep Jamaican folk culture alive formed the group Tan Teddy. Tan Teddy aims to restore the memory of Jamaican folk living with dignity in the hearts of those living away from home and to bring the culture to those with an interest in the life style of Jamaica. Tan teddy’s performances cover a wide range of folk songs, reggae in folk style, kumina, quadrille, poetry and drama.
The group run workshops in singing, dancing, drumming and drama, performance skills for both children and adults. Tan teddy also deliver cultural awareness programmes in schools, projects, hostels, organisations, weddings, birthday parties, christenings and cultural events.
Jamaican folk music is understood to be the earliest form of Jamaican music, with its origin in 17th Century. and it is regarded as one very important cultural heritage.
Jamaican music has a deep-rooted history that dates to the mid-1600s when England controlled the island. After the English captured Jamaica from Spain, England expanded its slave trade, and continued to import thousands of African slaves through the 19th century. With the slaves came new languages, religions, cultures and music. The slaves used singing, dancing and drumming as their spiritual acts of freedom. However, that genre eventually evolved into several other forms of music such as mento, ska, rocksteady and reggae. The island's music is a form of expression regarding recent events, history and religious movements.
To find out more about Tan Teddy:
Twitter: tanteddyculture1
FB : tanteddyculture1
Email: tanteddyculture1@gmail.com