On December 11, NALIS hosted the launch of Hosay Caribbean: Tadjahs on Wheels by Dr Satnarine Balkaransingh. This work unravels the layered history of a tradition that became both a protest and a means of cultural survival under colonial rule.
His Excellency Dr Rajpurohit, who revealed that he had visited Karbala during his time in Iraq, shared that the book resonated deeply with him. He noted its vivid documentation of the traditions that continue in Iraq and India and its vital role as a record of the diaspora’s history and cultural adaptation.
In Hosay Caribbean: Tadjahs on Wheels (Mobile Mausoleums of Muharram), Dr Balkaransingh frames Hosay as a defiant assertion of cultural and communal identity. The book explores the massacre of 1884 when colonial authorities fired on the procession in San Fernando, killing 16 people and injuring over 80.
This brutal act, like the Canboulay Riots of the same year, revealed the colonial authorities’ fear of cultural expression as a form of resistance. Speaking at the launch, Neil Parsanlal, chairman of the board of NALIS, drew a powerful parallel between the Hosay festival and the annual re-enactment of the Canboulay Riots, emphasising their shared role in resisting colonial suppression.
“There is another cultural observance that, in many ways, parallels the elements of the Hosay festival and warrants the same depth of inquiry and respect. I refer to the annual re-enactment of the Canboulay Riots, a tradition meticulously preserved by cultural historian and archivist Pearl Eintou Springer,” he said.
Parsanlal highlighted the historical overlap, noting, “The Canboulay Riots of 1881 and 1884—significantly, the latter occurring in the same year and town as the Hosay Massacre—represented Afro-Trinidadian resistance to colonial suppression of Carnival, an event deeply rooted in the cultural expressions of formerly enslaved people.”
He underscored their deeper meaning, “Canboulay, like Hosay, was more than mere festivity. It was a declaration of identity, an assertion of freedom, and a challenge to oppressive systems. The defiance embodied in these riots reminds us of the resilience that lies at the heart of Trinidad and Tobago’s multicultural heritage.”
Parsanlal concluded by advocating for funding to adapt Balkaransingh’s work into a ballet, calling it “the epic it is meant to be,” and stressing that “dance can be a powerful tool for peacebuilding, allowing for non-verbal, embodied learning, exploring identity, and fostering relationships.”
The parallels between Hosay and Canboulay are striking. Both served as cultural expressions and as acts of resistance against colonial suppression, uniting marginalised communities in defiance of oppressive systems.
Dr Balkaransingh reveals in the book how Ordinance 9 of 1882 restricted Hosay processions to rural areas, segregated participants by religion and ethnicity, and sought to erode unity within the Indian community. Despite these measures, the “processionists” marched on October 30, 1884, carrying tadjahs and chanting marsīyas, dirges mourning Imam Hussein’s martyrdom at Karbala.
The book vividly recounts this tragic day, “The spectacle—thundering tassa drumming, with clashing brass cymbals, frenzied fencing of sticks and goatskin shields—was reliving the passion of Hussein in that battle of long ago in that ancient, distant land of Arabia. A section within the procession would have been chanting the highly emotive, dirge-like poetic verses, marsīyas. This was the annual norm of Muharram processions brought from the motherland, India. To the unfamiliar, it was mayhem.”
At Cipero Street, Major Bowles and his detachment confronted the first procession. The Riot Act was read in English—unheard and unintelligible to many marchers. Bowles ordered his men to fire.
“Guns already cocked, now levelled, they shot into the on-coming mass from a distance of as close as 25 feet. Two volleys of buckshot-loaded ammunition tore through the advancing crowd. The tadjahs, symbols of grief and defiance, lay toppled on the bloodstained ground.”
Dr Balkaransingh’s reflection on this moment is particularly poignant, “The performance of an ancient mourning ceremony had been deliberately exploited by the authorities to recreate an immediate, irrevocable new grief over the dead, dying, and severely wounded. This was a double martyrdom—for Imam Hussein and his followers at Karbala, and now for their own kin in San Fernando.”
The massacre left a scar on the community but also cemented Hosay’s significance as a symbol of resilience and resistance.
Dr Balkaransingh’s thorough research from Iraq to India, from Belize to Guyana to T&T is complemented by his artistic sensibility, honed through decades as a dancer, choreographer, and cultural advocate. The book examines how the tadjahs have evolved from fragile bamboo frames to intricate illuminated structures, and it explores the pressures that threaten the festival’s survival, including the loss of skilled artisans and economic challenges. These insights and historical depth make the work indispensable for understanding Trinidad’s cultural landscape.
As Parsanlal challenged during the launch: “Let us begin to plumb the depths of our rich cultural heritage, to explore the relevance of our historical symbols and artefacts and examine their replacements. Let us examine, as Dr Balkaransingh has done so brilliantly in his study, the true value of what we have inherited to determine what is worthy of preservation for admiration and, conversely, what are worthy reminders of what has made us unique and resilient people we have become.”
Lisa Morris Julian, Minister in the Ministry of Education, drew parallels between the resistance symbolised by Hosay and the struggles of the First Peoples and congratulated Dr Balkaransingh on his important work.
Dr Balkaransingh writes with urgency, aware that oral histories risk vanishing into the haze of legend without documentation. His work underscores the need to preserve these stories as artefacts and living legacies. He challenges readers to consider what parts of our cultural heritage merit preservation and how traditions can evolve without losing their essence.
Hosay Caribbean is both a historical resource and an invitation to reflect on the resilience of cultural traditions. Balkaransingh’s work ensures that the sacrifice of those who marched in 1884 will not be forgotten, offering readers a lens through which to view history, resistance, and adaptation. For T&T and the broader Caribbean, this book is a tribute to the past and a call to engage with the cultural legacies that shape the present and future.
