NEWSDAY REPORTER
AT 12 Warner Street, Newtown, Port of Spain, eight young children are being taught to colour cow masks as groovy soca music plays in the background.
The children were participating in a Totally Trinbago Easter camp at Lakou Wi, a space that cultural activist and manager Attillah Springer describes as a culmination of a longstanding dream.
She discussed the genesis of the place during a recent interview with Newsday.
[caption id="attachment_1075748" align="alignnone" width="683"] Dara Healy, left, founder of Idakeda Group, with her sister and Idakeda director Attillah Springer at the organisation's cultural space Lakou Wi in Port of Spain. -[/caption]
She explained the origins of Lakou Wi, which means "yard" and "yes" in patois, began in 1998 with the formation of the Idakeda group by her elder sister, actor/choreographer and Newsday columnist Dara E Healy, to protect the intellectual property of their mother, poet and playwright Eintou Pearl Springer, and some of her patrimony for future generations.
"She has been working and giving away work for most of her life."
Eintou Pearl Springer is Idakeda’s "Creative Force" and Springer is a director.
[caption id="attachment_1075746" align="alignnone" width="768"] Brazilian artist and researcher Andreza Jorge interviewed by TTT ahead of a workshop on Afro-Diasporic Dance connections in Brazil and Trinidad Carnivals. -[/caption]
This included securing publishing contracts and ensuring she received a fair deal if her plays were performed. Idakeda began creating opportunities and avenues to ensure they followed up with her publishing contracts and she received a fair deal if a play was being performed.
While Idakeda was in its formative stage, Eintou Pearl Springer was on the National Carnival Commission regional carnival committee and around that time the 1881 Canboulay Riots re-enactment by late cultural stalwart John Cupid was being performed. In 2004 she began writing the script for the play Kambule, which looked at the people of East Port of Spain and why they decided to fight against the colonial authorities.
Idakeda provides multi-disciplinary cultural interventions for a variety of local and international audiences and its guiding statement is "Changing Communities through Culture."
Springer said from the initial small dream of protecting their mother's work, Idakeda began doing Kambule productions, going on tours, and doing work in communities.
"Formalising the work Ms Eintou has been doing for most of her life as a cultural worker. Going into schools and working with young people. Talking with them about cultural forms and how they could be used to 'language' different forms of trauma in our communities."
She said Idakeda also engages in knowledge transfer with different groups: for example, the organisation has a very close relationship with the Hindu Prachaar Kendra and Orisha community.
But, she said, "One of the challenges always is space."
Before the creation of Lakou Wi, Idakeda would work in community centres
