This blog chronicles the journey of a 21st century woman of African descent that has recently relocated to St. Croix, VI as she explores living life out loud!
Some days it is the small things that can make our day! So please let this momentous occasion be noted...I downloaded a U-Tube video onto my PC. It was not the best quality but after viewing several tutorials there was only one that was simple enough and clear enough for me to follow! You know what this means? I will be free to subject my viewers to my interests. lol
This weekend Gail Nealon, a board member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. Croix and I will be facilitating a workshop entitled, What It Means to Be a Unitarian Universalist. This is workshop that provides an overview for newbies and those that simply want a review on Unitarian Universalism. This is the perfect video to show although it is six years old. It depicts a number of lay and clergy talking about what Unitarian Universalism means to them and why they are UUs.
Here are some other videos that I think are helpful in understanding Unitarian Universalism.
This second video shares aspects of Unitarian Universalism through song and is based on an essay by James Luther Adams, one of the pre-imminent UU theologians. The essay is titled, Guiding Principles of a Free Faith and is referred to as the Five Smooth Stones. The singing is not great but it combines the beauty of nature and music to convey simple truths about Unitarian Universalism.
Unlike most U Tube videos this last video in my post is rather lengthy. It is 25 minutes but for those of you that really want an in depth presentation of UUism this is a good start. The speaker does not start from early Unitarianism in Europe but begins with the colonial experience. For that you might want to check out a new six part film series detailing the history of Unitarian and Universalist thought from the beginning of the Christian era to present times.
Today I watched my first movie on my PC without it buffering after switching over to VI Broadband. I am elated and feeling ready to take on some challenges and to blog more. Below are some examples of the wonderful music and dances indigenous to St. Croix that I have discovered. Enjoy!Qiyamah
Bamboula Dancing
Quelbe Music
"Jamaica defines itself with Reggae. Bachata fires the Santo-Domingan's soul, and Calypso is synonymous with Trinidad & Tobago. World, take notice of this musical expression: Quelbe of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Quelbe is a synthesis of Africa and Europe in the Virgin Islands expressed through music and shaped by the social conditions in the 18th and 19th centuries. "Enslaved Black people were denied their own music and dance so they adopted the styles of their masters and added their own elements. This fushion led to the creation of a sound known today as Quelbe. Quelbe, pronounced 'kwail-bay,' comes from bamboula rhythms and chants, cariso songs and melodies, mixed with old European military fife and drum bands. Quelbe instruments were homemade flutes, bass drums and European made snare drums, somtimes with percussion. Eventually guitars, triangles, tambourines, and a squash - a dried gourd with serrated sides that is scraped with a wire pong, were added. Dancers, adapted the structure of European quadrilles and Quelbe was born. "Today, more instruments have been added, like the 'pipe,' a cylindrical metal tube, sometimes the exhaust pipe from a car, that is bent at both ends and blown. A small banjo and European-made pomp-flute can be part of the ensemble. The alto saxophone was introduced in the late sixties and has practically replaced the flute as lead instrument. In the seventies, the electric bass guitar added a modern and sophiticated sound, and drums made a re-entry as modern conga drums. "In 2003, the 25th Legislature of the Virgin Islands passed Bill No. 25-0056 to designate Quelbe as the official music of the Virgin Islands. It was signed into law by Governor Charles W. Turnbull at an elaborate ceremony at Government House on St. Croix. The law requires that Quelbe be taught in the public schools. (Adapted from a story by Dimiti Copemann and Senator Shawn Michael Malone that appeared in Destination/USVI 2005)." - See more at: http://activerain.com/blogsview/1726205/gotta-love-the-quelbe-music-of-st-croix#sthash.MPB8W79U.dpuf
Excerpted from: Gotta Love the Quelbe Music of St Croix By Kim Lucas
Real Estate Agent with USVI Sotheby's International Realty
