IN keeping in the spirit of national hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey who warned us, “If you don’t know where you are coming from then you won’t know where you are going”, Fi Wi Sinting, the largest African History Month event in Jamaica, will be celebrating its 20th anniversary at Somerset Falls, Portland today.

Fi Wi Sinting is where persons meet, greet and mingle in a family setting while indulging in Fi Wi Sinting. (The meaning of this Jamaican phrase is: “It belongs to us”.)

All who see a need and share a desire to celebrate and preserve Jamaica’s rich African heritage, in tribute to the ancestors for the legacy of a rich culture that is rapidly disappearing, are welcome.

The venue, Somerset Falls in Hope Bay, Portland, world-known for its lush vegetation and exotic flora, will be transformed into a huge market place, representative of Jamaican/African culture featuring exquisite garments, books, jewellery and craft.

Patrons are invited to dance to the rhythms of the Kumina drums brought to Jamaica from the Congo, the mento band, indigenous folk music, let loose at the African Dance Party hosted by Mutabaruka, participate in Nyabinghi chanting with Rastafarians or join the children as they playfully follow closely behind the Jonkunoo band, brought here from West Africa.

The spoken word, expressed through stories of that cunning spider Anansi, also from West Africa, will be done by Turnel McCommock, aka Bredda Anancy. Resident poets Royal African Soldiers and their friends will be feature attractions in an Open Mic segment. Each year at sunset patrons are invited to gather and pay homage to the ancestors and offerings are placed on the Ancestral Raft before it is sent floating into the Caribbean Sea.

Jonkunu (John Canoe) a Jamaican traditional dance of African origin, performed mainly at Christmas time, for the past 20 years has been given ‘brawta’ at Fi Wi Sinting. A strong feature of the dance is the characters, some of whom are Pitchy Patchy, Horsehead, Cowhead and Belly Woman. Pitchy Patchy can still be seen in West Africa. The rhythm of the Jonkunu music is quite distinct from other ritual folk music with its fife and rattling drum, carried on the shoulders and played with sticks.

Kumina is the most African of Jamaica’s music forms. Brought to the island by indentured servants from the Congo after the abolition of slavery, it is mostly practised in the parishes of Portland and St Thomas. The ancestors are called upon during a Kumina ceremony, which is usually associated with wakes and entombments, but can also be performed at births, anniversaries and thanksgivings. The dance and music are two of Kumina’s strong features — the drum playing an integral part in this dance ritual.