Anxiety, caution and fear were the immediate reactions of students sitting on the lawn at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus when about 15 people scampered towards them.
To their surprise, the 15 turned out to be members of the University Dance Society who converged in a circle to give their interpretation of a flash mob, as Woodstock Lyrics On The Lawn got off to a pulse-pounding start.
The event, one of the numerous activities of Fresher’s Week, featured a number of spoken-word pieces, rap and singing performances, one of which paid tribute to the late Antonio Baird.
As the lyrics flowed effortlessly, patrons listened attentively to the messages as they stood on the damp lawn, sat in chairs or enjoyed the performances while sitting in their car trunks.
Although students could attest to being treated to a stream of talent, the event heightened the awareness of upcoming spoken-word artistes, who addressed a number of issues facing society such as bullying in schools.
Dance and theatre student Toni Dyall said she liked “the creativity and interest they [upcoming artistes] are taking in the arts” and felt that people could have a career in this field.
Matthew Murrell, 26, alluded to UWI being a home for cultural experiences and said there was a place for spoken-word in Barbados but that upcoming artistes needed to get away from “outside influences”.
“So far Bajan artistes have taken it as their own and addressed issues they are facing. I just hope that they continue to find the Caribbean or Barbadian aesthetic from spoken-word,” he said.
Humanities student Elton Wharton echoed Dyall’s sentiment, noting that although spoken-word had “a lot of potential”, he did not believe that it would get support on a large scale.
On the flipside, he lauded the organizers for an “efficient” event that had no time delays.
Throughout the show the Cave Hill Music Society, upcoming rappers Blo Smallz, ATM, G-Star, Victorian, TJ, Carron Beckles as well as Sunrokk, Rubytech, Fantom Dundeal and AzMan kept the students entertained and ended the night’s activities on a satisfactory note.
