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BLOG: Vagabonds, Hooligans and Badjohns – The Violent Past of the Steel Bands

 

Vagabonds, Hooligans and Badjohns – The Violent Past of the Steel Bands

 

The only acoustic musical instrument to be invented in the twentieth century was the steel pan. This instrument was invented in Trinidad and Tobago during the 1930s in the communities surrounding the city of Port of Spain. It was through the development of the steel pan that the tamboo bamboo bands evolved into the steel bands which have become an integral aspect of annual Carnival celebrations. Even though the steel band is now accepted in society, during its early evolutionary and transitioning years, the steel band was stigmatized as being low class and violent. From 1945 to 1965, the steel band movement was plagued with various forms of violence. Read More