A review: ‘Talking Drums’ – Literature, Rhythm, and the Echo of a People

Pelican Village, Bridgetown, pulsed with rhythm and words on Wednesday, August 27th, when the Barbados Literary Arts presentation ‘Talking Drums’ unfolded as part of CARIFESTA XV. 

Directed by Levi King, the hour-long production blurred the lines between theatre, ritual, and community gathering. With traditional African and contemporary drumming as its heartbeat, and a cast scattered among the audience, the evening was immersive from the very first beat—stimulating the senses visually, aurally, and orally. The production fused prose, poetry, traditional African drumming, and contemporary rhythms into a visceral performance that challenged the audience to reflect on “where we were, where we are, and where we are going.”

An immersive experience

From the opening beat, the production dismantled the conventional stage-audience divide. Cast members moved among the audience, voices rising from unexpected corners, weaving words with the drumbeats in a visual, aural, and oral symphony. A massive screen illuminated the backdrop, projecting evocative images that anchored the spoken texts in layers of meaning.

The choice of Spirit Griot Carol Brathwaite as the production’s axis was inspired. Her tireless energy and impassioned choreography to Kamau Brathwaite’s Mask: Libation and The Atumpan set the tone, her presence bridging ancestral echoes with contemporary urgency. Carol’s performance established a ritualistic atmosphere, underscoring the production’s intent to ground the literary in the spiritual from start to finish. Her movements were a device to introduce each new performance of a stellar cast.

A Cast of Heavyweights

King and National Cultural Foundation Cultural Officer, Literary Arts, Karra Price curated an intergenerational selection of texts spanning Barbados’ literary canon—from the venerable Kamau Brathwaite to contemporary voices like  DJ Simmons.

The cast delivered with conviction and range. Neil Waithe carried forward Kamau Brathwaite’s legacy with ‘Making of the Drum’. Empress Zingha embodied Frank Collymore’s ‘Ballad of an Old Woman’ alongside Dr. Elizabeth Best’s ‘My Story’. Nikita Thomas brought fire and urgency to Brathwaite’s ‘Fire in the Canes’, while Phelan Lowe stunned with a haunting rendition of George Lamming’s ‘Image’. Sarah Venable offered nuance and intimacy in Michelle Barrow’s ‘The Right Gift’. Cyndi Celeste electrified the audience with James Carmichael’s ‘Centipede’, and DJ Simmons closed with biting wit in his original work ‘Stupid Old Man’.

The evening was also unified by a collective moment: the entire cast came together to perform selections from Dr. Yvonne Weekes’ epic ‘Diaspora Speaks’. This ensemble performance underscored the production’s theme of continuity—voices from different generations converging to tell one story of a people in motion, grounded in memory yet reaching forward.

Standouts included Lowe, Simmons, Celeste, and the indefatigable Brathwaite, whose intensity made her the hardest working cast member on stage. Levi King’s direction was as much about curation as staging. His decision to blend generations, styles, and perspectives produced a layered narrative about Barbadian and Caribbean identity.  “I tried to look at pieces that had me looking more at the individual in some cases and how society impacts the individual and the individual impacts the society in general,” King explained.

Equally thoughtful were the visual projections: carefully selected images underscored each literary work, extending the textual into the symbolic. Some images, King noted, were left unused, but those chosen carried striking resonance with the words spoken.

The technology added another layer, with a massive screen projecting carefully chosen images that deepened the impact of the spoken word. These visuals, paired with the performers’ voices and the drum’s resonance, created a multi-sensory environment that carried the audience beyond performance into drum-filled meditation.

A living archive

The production dispelled any lingering doubt that contemporary Barbados is documenting its moment. The works chosen, from Collymore to Carmichael, made clear that both the island’s historic struggles and its modern complexities are being captured in literary form. As King observed, this was not about broad historical strokes alone, but about the intimate interpersonal journeys that mirror a society’s evolution.

Audience engagement

The evening closed with an open mic session, inviting the audience to contribute their voices to the conversation—fittingly blurring the line between performer and spectator, author and witness.

‘Talking Drums’ succeeded as an immersive cultural experience, one that honoured Barbados’ literary heritage while situating it within Africa’s enduring rhythms and the Caribbean’s present realities. It was both a celebration and a reckoning, a  reminder that our words, our drums, and our stories are inseparable: a living archive of Barbados’ literary heritage, a celebration of its contemporary voices, and an affirmation that the story of who we are continues to be written, performed, and drummed into being.

Sponsored by the producers of CARIFESTA XV, FLOW, and Afreximbank, the night marked a memorable addition to the festival’s legacy of literary excellence.