00:00Catching Up is brought to you by Iconic Mass.
00:34Sometimes catching up means taking a little trip.
00:38And this time we journey to our sister Isle Tobago to meet a woman whose name has become synonymous with
00:44culture, heritage and the preservation of our traditions.
00:48If you guessed Miss Annette Alfred, then you are absolutely right.
00:53Born in Malawa Bay, Charlotteville, Tobago, Annette later moved to Scarborough to attend Bishop's High School.
01:00Her journey would take her beyond Tobago's shores to the Bahamas and even New York.
01:05But after experiencing life away from home, she came to realize one thing.
01:10There's truly no place like Tobago.
01:14I walked away, went to the Bahamas, see what life was right there, then I came back.
01:19When I went to New York to study, came back, I was bombed to be here.
01:27But where did her love for Tobago's culture begin?
01:30For Annette, the answer takes us right back to her roots.
01:34Began right in Charterville at Sunday school.
01:38We had a very vibrant, our minister's wife was a vibrant person.
01:44She had us acting, singing, doing all these sorts of things.
01:48And I think from there, I was diagnosed as one that would be in the field till life's end.
01:58And what began in Charlottesville grew into a lifelong commitment.
02:02Through her participation in cultural activities and her dedication to preserving Tobago's traditions,
02:09Annette has played a part in keeping the island's heritage alive.
02:14But when we talk about Tobago's culture, what exactly are we talking about?
02:19What makes it so distinct?
02:22And why is it so important to preserve?
02:25Well, culture is what you are.
02:28Culture is what you eat.
02:30Culture is what you live.
02:32Our Tobago culture for me is our choral presentations, our singing, our choirs.
02:41So it's like culture is life and everyday life.
02:45And she realized there was so much of Tobago that needed to be preserved for life.
02:50A number of villages still in the heritage.
02:54Our folk tales and superstitions from Golden Lane, our old-time Tobago wedding, and I stress
03:00Tobago wedding because that's how the weddings used to be in Tobago, not in Moriah alone, but
03:06in Tobago.
03:07And you go to Charlottesville, and we have natural treasures there.
03:12Here we show you all what the village has, washing up the deadbed, squeezing sugarcane, by dancing on the batting
03:21mill.
03:22Trinidad and Tobago may share one national identity.
03:26But according to Annette, the two islands each have their own unique cultural expressions.
03:32Trinidad is a mixture of races.
03:35Tobago is almost totally African.
03:38We have harvest.
03:40You have mass.
03:41You spend all your money saving for Carnivalry next year.
03:45The Tobagonian will not do that.
03:48The Tobagonian will spend all the money they have, even go to the bank and take the bank loans that
03:54they offer,
03:54to prepare for Tobago harvest.
03:57Today, many regard Mrs. Alfred as a cultural icon, and a true treasure of Tobago.
04:04Yet, despite the recognition that has come with her years of dedication,
04:09becoming one of the island's leading champions of culture was not necessarily something she had envisioned.
04:15I don't know if I envisioned that thing, but I know it's something I loved.
04:18And I did all I could to abstain it.
04:23And that commitment has certainly left its mark.
04:26Mrs. Alfred is recognized as a pioneer of the Tobago Heritage Festival and has served as chairman of the Tobago
04:34Heritage Committee.
04:35Her contributions have earned her the Tobago Recognition Award at the Gold Tobago Medal of Honor, among other accolades.
04:42But among the many achievements and honors she has received, one moment stands out.
04:47Her group's performance in Wales, where they won at the World Folkman Music Festival, remains one of her proudest accomplishments.
04:56A moment that showcased Tobago's cultural talent on an international stage.
05:01The clapping didn't stop at all.
05:03Then after the ballet, they didn't stop.
05:05I said, yes, we are on good grounds.
05:07We went and we did the bongo.
05:09Clapping, clapping, clapping.
05:10I went back into the venue because I was relieved.
05:13And I said, even though we didn't win, we will come something because we are good.
05:18Tobago Academy, whatever you recall, because I didn't even know Tobago.
05:21Tobago Academy, 93.
05:24I said, Auntie D, she's Diana.
05:27I said, Auntie D, Auntie D, we're in this.
05:30Boy, when they came now one day, they call out masks and stuff like that.
05:36And they said, well, the winner should come up to receive your trophy.
05:40And then, hey, winner can't catch herself.
05:44Winner can't catch herself to go for it.
05:46And here I went up and down.
05:47I became, I was talking their language one time.
05:50How do I get there?
05:52It is the most memorable aspect of my life, culturally and otherwise.
05:59But with traditions changing and some cultural practices at risk of being forgotten,
06:05an important question remains.
06:07Is it too late?
06:08Is Tobago's culture slowly disappearing?
06:11I wouldn't say I was his diner's yet.
06:14It could still be preserved more, but we're fighting to have it preserved.
06:18Mrs. Alfred is calling on those in authority to do more to safeguard traditions, such as Tobago's reel and jig
06:26dances,
06:27the bongo, the traditional Tobago wedding, and the speech band.
06:31These are expressions of Tobago's history, its identity, and the way of life the generations before us have worked to
06:39preserve.
06:39Now, 80 years old, Annette Alfred has dedicated much of her life to the culture she loves.
06:46After decades of preserving traditions and sharing Tobago's heritage with the world, how does she want to be remembered?
06:52As Annette, just as Annette, they're going to put together what they want to sing.
07:00Well, maybe they call it a lady, because I have lived for it. I love it.
07:06And in 50 years, she wants Tobago to be seen as...
07:09As the greatest city of Ireland on the planet.
07:12A true daughter of Tobago, a cultural icon, and certainly a story worth catching up on.
07:21I am Annette Alfred. Thank you for catching up.
07:45Catching up was brought to you by Iconic Mast.
