BARDS & BADJOHNS with Co-Panelists: Jacob Ross (GND); Courttia Newland (JA/BDOS); P. Djeli Clark (TT); Khalil Haywood (USA), hosted by Amilcar Sanatan.

“Well, they playing bad/They have me feeling sad/Well, they playing beast” sang The Mighty Sparrow, Trinidad and Tobago’s national bard of calypso. Sparrow details his “ten to one” confrontation with a gang of badjohns outside of the popular Miramar Nightclub in South Quay, Trinidad. Sparrow’s calypsos like Naipaul’s fiction and James’ sociological musings on West Indies cricket have produced representations of men and multiple meanings of manhood throughout the Caribbean? How does it differ in the diaspora? Given that so much of who we are has its roots in our historical past, we are curious about the ways in which masculinity has been moulded by the territories in which they exist. What do these representations say about our collective past, present and future? This session seeks to explore the constructs, contradictions, exclusions and limitations of manhood in print, on stages and throughout Caribbean and the wider society.

This virtual panel is free to attend, but registration is required; please click here to view more details on Eventbrite or to register.