In February of 2015, Alexander Street had its first contact with a representative from the Banyan archive and learned about this large and amazing digitized video material that had been seeking the right channel for distribution into the academic market. They told us that when they learned about Alexander Street, they saw right away that our platform, indexing, and search capabilities would fit perfectly the vision of how their archive could and should be used, not only in the Caribbean Studies field but as a multidisciplinary database that would serve and advance research in many more areas of study. The Banyan partners were absolutely right.

Alexander Street is very proud to add Caribbean Studies in Video: The Banyan Archive to its catalog, and hope that, along with the related databases Caribbean Literature; Black Short Fiction; Black Thought and Culture; South and South East Asian Literature; Black Drama; North American Immigrants Letter, Diaries and Oral Histories, it is helping to create an important repository for the study, research, and preservation of content of this extremely beautiful and equally extremely diverse region of the world.

We are excited to announce that Caribbean Studies in Video: The Banyan Archive is coming live to you 100% complete with more than 1000 hours of content.

The programs and unedited footage of this database started to be produced in the 1970s, by the Banyan Production company, based in Trinidad and Tobago, with the mission of providing the Caribbean people with the means to tell their stories to one another without influence from the outside world.

The innovative, cultural, and entertaining programs produced by the Banyan form a unique and comprehensive archive that documents the last 40 years of life in the Caribbean like no other resource will ever be able to.

With Alexander Street indexing and search capabilities, the more than 1000 hours of edited programs and unedited footage content of this database is now searchable and will enhance the study across a host of disciplines and subjects, including:

  • History
  • Anthropology
  • Sociology
  • Religion
  • Visual Arts
  • Dance
  • Music
  • Literature
  • Theater

 

Highlights of the Content:  

A few examples of pioneer programs featured in this collection are:

The Rig: The Anglophone Caribbean's first 'made for TV movie'. Written and directed by Derek Walcott, The Rig explores the impact of the oil discoveries off the East Coast of Trinidad on the village life of the area and the society of Trinidad & Tobago in general.

Kali Worship in Trinidad & Tobago (1991) - Trinidad & Tobago is one of the few places in the New World where worship of the Hindu Goddess, Kali, is so accessible. The program documents the how the dramatic and fascinating devotion to one of the most ancient of deities plays out in the context of one of the most multi-cultural societies in the world.

Sargasso (1994) – Sargasso features dramatized highlights of Jean Rhys's classic novel Wide Sargasso Sea, with a preface about the writer's life and work. Produced for The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, and written and directed by Dr. Michael Gilkes.

Cavalleria Rusticana, the full length Opera produced for the Opera Society of Trinidad & Tobago, from 1982

Concert in the Rainforest (2002) Guyanese filmmaker and cultural activist, Michael Gilkes, led a team including Guyanese international concert pianist, Ray Luck, piano technician, Remington Ally, and the Banyan crew to join the Waiwai people in a concert of song and music.

Gayelle (1985 – 1992) - Episodes of the most innovative and exciting cultural television in the Caribbean, Gayelle has been acclaimed at many international festivals and showings. It has served as a model for the creation of similar productions in the Caribbean, Central America, and Canada, and is used in television training institutes in the U.S. as an example of how exciting television can be made with simple resources.

Caribbean Eye (1992) - Presented by veteran Caribbean broadcaster, Ken Corsbie, Caribbean Eye represents a pioneering effort in regional television. It was the first documentary series about Caribbean culture that was made by Caribbean people. 

But one can also explore the oral and visual history of the culture, society, and identity of the Caribbean people, through:

Interviews:

  • Derek Walcott (poet, playwright, Nobel Laureate)
  • Errol Hill (dramatist and Caribbean Theatre authority)
  • C.L.R. James (novelist, political philosopher, activist)
  • George Lamming (novelist)
  • Rosa Guy (novelist)
  • Peter Minshall (Carnival Mas' artist)
  • V.S.Naipaul (novelist)
  • Dunstan St. Omer (muralist, painter)
  • Euzhan Palcy (film director)
  • Slade Hopkinson (actor, dramatist)
  • Andrew Beddeau (master drummer, masquerader, Orisha priest)
  • Dionne Brand (poet)
  • Lord Melody (veteran calypsonian)
  • Aime Cesaire (poet, politician)
  • Beryl McBurnie (dance pioneer)
  • and many more.

Political events:

  • Proceedings of the 1983 Inaugural Alliance Convention which gave rise to the National Alliance for Reconstruction which in 1986 won the general elections after the rule of the People's National Movement for the 30 years since Independence.
  • Anti-apartheid marches and rallies for the English cricket tour of 1986.
  • Reconstruction of the events of 19 June 1937 in Fyzabad (1986). (The 'Butler Riots' which sparked labour revolt in the southern Caribbean in 1937)
  • Interviews with Trade Union Pioneers and activists.
  • Interview with George Louison, Minister in the PRG (Maurice Bishop) government one week after his escape from the Bernard Coard purge of the government and the US Invasion of Grenada, by Frank Solomon (4½ hours).
  • Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, interviews with officials and governments, examination of common institutions with a view to political unity. Antigua, St. Kitts, Dominica, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Grenada.
  • Attempted Coup 1990, Trinidad

Dance performances and related materials:

  • Interviews and documentation of Repertory Dance Theatre, Trinidad & Tobago, under Astor Johnson
  • Dance Dimensions, 1981, National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica
  • Dance festival 1980, 1981
  • PLUS Interviews with Dance pioneers, Beryl McBurnie, Rex Nettleford, Joyce Kirton, Julia Edwards, Astor Johnson, and many more

Cultural practices:

  • Kite making. Top carving, making and playing
  • Stick fighting (Trinidad martial art)
  • Cock Fighting.
  • Kali worship.
  • Sports & Games in the Caribbean
  • Hindu wedding
  • Storytelling

Carnival, Steel Band, and Calypso performances and related materials:

  • Traditional and contemporary masquerade every year from 1977.
  • Interviews and performances on the street for traditional characters such as: Bat, Midnight Robber, Dragon, Black Indian.
  • Queens of Carnival 1986, interviews, costume construction.
  • Dimanche Gras (Parade of Kings & Queens and Calypso competition) 1986, 1987, 1988.
  • Many Interviews of famous steelband pioneers and practitioners, young and old: Sterling Betancourt, Anthony Williams, MacDonald Mac Kinsale, Zigalee, Hugo Besson, Albert Jones, Ken ‘Professor’ Philmore, Earl Rodney, Junior Pouchet, Neville Jules
  • Panorama steelband competitions: 1985, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1998
  • Live recordings from all the calypso tents 1985 – 1988
  • Interviews with calypsonians

 

For you to enjoy this rare and incredible content, we decided to do things a little different this time around. As you know deep indexing has always been a hallmark of Alexander Street's attention to content. This care though has often hindered our ability to bring new content quickly to patrons. It has not been uncommon for us to take a year or more to deliver a complete collection as we develop, and apply, by hand, very careful indexing. So Caribbean Studies in Video has, at launch, 150 hours of the best content already fully indexed. Each month we will add indexing to more videos until the collection is completely indexed. We believe the absence of full indexing at launch is more than outweighed by receiving access to the full archive on launch.

Thank you all involved in the process of turning this into an incredible database, and special thank you to Christopher Laird, who has worked with us for months until we came to a final common view of this project.

Isabel Lacerda

Senior Licensing Editor, Alexander Street