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SWINGING TOBAGO
Tobago is smaller and less cosmopolitan compared with its sister island, but when it comes to letting their hair down, the Tobagonians are right up there
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Tobago, despite being 16 times smaller than Trinidad, boasts it’s very own separate and distinctive forms of island culture—quite different from those of its sister isle Trinidad. Tobago has a strong and distinct culture that includes music, dancing, drinking and partying. It has a strong history of music.
Tobago was originally inhabited by Amerindian Indians. Europeans came after and were mainly involved in plantation agriculture, utilising imported African slaves for their lucrative trade. Today the island’s heritage remains predominantly African but it is flavoured by the influences of Amerindian and European cultures. The culture of Tobago is a reflection of a creative and vibrant, ethnically mixed and cosmopolitan society.
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The Heritage Festival expresses the soul of the people and fascinates thousands who witness this annual phenomenon |
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The star attraction is the Heritage Festival, which was first staged in 1987. It spans a two-week period from mid-July to the first day of August each year. During this time Tobagonians embark on a pilgrimage into the cultural hearts of their ancestors. This event is now a true cultural showpiece of the island.
The fest starts and ends with gala opening and the closing performances and parades in Scarborough at the island’s centrally located cultural complex. It is attended by hundreds of locals, dignitaries and visitors, and presents highlights of previous years’ dynamic village productions. Visitors can look forward to an exciting extravaganza during the two weeks of activities that move daily from village to village and enact and celebrate Tobago’s traditions of dance, music, story telling, culture and food.
The festival expresses the soul of the people and fascinates the thousands who witness this annual phenomenon.
Productions are also staged in the communities throughout this island, allowing patrons to experience the individual village as it comes to life in song, dance, drama and oral tradition.
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Clued
in to Culture, Swinging
Tobago, Dash
Of Africa, & Taste
Of China
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September 2006
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