In Ian Strachan’s riveting documentary “Show Me Your Motion,” he poses the complex question, “What does it mean to be a Bahamian?” Through interviews with a wide reaching range of experts, from the likes of poets and writers such as Patrick Rahming and Telcine Turner-Role to musical extraordinaires including Eddie Minnis and Christian Campbell, they uncover that the answer to this intriguing question lies in the interactions between Bahamian children and the ringplay games they engage in.
Ringplay, as it is defined in the documentary is the amalgamation of the dances taught by the Europeans and what children observed their parents doing in popular “jump in” dances. These games and dances originated in Africa and were transported to the West Indies on the foreboding slave ships with our African ancestors who were forced into enslavement. In a sense, ringplay connects us to our rich, historical past. Some of the more popular ringplays that are mentioned in the documentary include “Blue Hill Water Dry,” “Brown Girl in the Ring,” “Dis a Way a Bella Bee,” and “J-U-M-P.” There is a sort of ingeniousness in the way Bahamian children are capable of creating such spirited forms of entertainment and even in their capability to transform Bahamian songs such as “Naughty Johnny” into rhythmic and lively games.
Unfortunately, these ringplay games, one of the few remnants of Bahamian culture, are being scorned upon, not just by religious leaders who deem them as “inappropriate,” but also by the parents of the children who participate in ringplay. Bahamian parents now view ringplay as sexually suggestive and unbecoming for young, female children –these being the usual participants- to engage in. Instead of perceiving it as a way to preserve our history and culture, parents now regard it as morally wrong. There is no doubt that foreign influence has played some part in this issue. It is arguable that American and European influences have slowly but surely robbed us of our...