'Bajan Mummers - Have they lost the plot?'
Abstract
Evidence of mummers exists in the contemporary folk culture of Barbados. Performing with a small 'Tuk' band can be found a cast of dancers in tatters costume that would recognisable to any student of mumming, including a giant, a hobby horse and a man-woman. In living memory they performed a Christmas night visiting tradition. Since WWII the Tuk tradition has been in decline but in the last 15 years has undergone a significant revival through tourist shows and an island-wide project in schools. No play script has surfaced so far. This paper explores this and related traditions, and their origins.
About the author
Stephen has been involved in mumming since the mid-1970s. He encountered the Tuk tradition in Barbados in 1994 and developed links with the island which inspired him to establish an anglo-bajan education project. Since then the Mum & Tuk programme has been delivered in more than 50 schools in the UK. In a development of this project he led a LECT tour by 25 teachers from Gloucestershire to visit schools in Barbados. Stephen is a member of the Gloucestershire Morris Mummers and the chair of the Mummers Unconvention.
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