Musings on the Jab

by Arley Salimbi Gill

One of the most prominent Grenadian historians and archivists John Angus Martin in his paper, titled “We Navel-String Bury Here”, notes that what we call Jab Jab in Grenada derived from the Djab Molassie masquerade.

Djab Molassie — French patois — means molasses devil.

Dr Martin points out that the masquerade of Djab Molassie has evolved into what today in Grenada we refer to as Djab Djab (Jab Jab), and it’s evocative of the link between Catholicism and carnival.

Carnival has its roots in France. Historians report carnival as early as 1294 in Nice, France. This parade started as a pagan festival and later became tied to Lent and Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). Mardi Gras was the time for overindulgence in fatty foods and excesses before the start of Lent. Carnival, of course, means “farewell to the flesh.”

French planters brought the carnival tradition with them to the Caribbean and the intertwining of slavery and Catholicism was enforced through the Black Code. France, indeed, was primarily Catholic, whilst the British at the time of colonising the British West Indies territories, was predominantly protestant, with Anglicanism being the main protestant religion.

The Code Noir (Black Code) was a decree passed by King Louis XIV of France in 1685. The Black Code defined and described the conditions of slavery in French colonial territories. Code Noir was in effect until 1789, the beginning of the French revolution.

Code Noir issued and promoted Catholicism as the mandatory religion of enslaved people in the French empire. This included the teaching of the devil and hell as a means of mental enslavement and cultural brainwashing. It is not accidental that in Christianity, the devil is said to be Black and God is believed to be white. This evolution — from Djab Molassie to Jab Jab as a devil portrayal — highlights the intricate link between Catholicism and carnival.

In exorcising that fear, the formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants created a masquerade, whereby they mocked this repulsive teaching in the carnival parade, as if to say — if you don’t pay the devil, you will “return to hell.” They marked that promise of a return to “hell” by daubing you with the black soot.

The early costume used by Jab Jabs was made of molasses crushed with charcoal. Of course, molasses came from sugar plantations, hence the Djab Molassie “Molasses Devil”. Later, as molasses became less available — as sugar production dwindled in Grenada — masqueraders used other materials for their costumes to display their Jab.

I know, in the 1980s, lard and charcoal were a popular mix. Today, Jab Jabs applying used engine oil from motor vehicles as the primary ingredient to dress the “devils” is most prominent; the environmental and health impact is another issue. There are other initiatives, where black pigment has been developed as an alternative to the “oil”, that are more eco-friendly and less toxic to the body.

Now, this is a portrayal that was traditionally done in the J’ouvert of carnival.

J’ouvert is a combination of 2 French words, “jour” and “ouvert”. “Jour” means day or daytime and “ouvert” is the past participle of the French verb “ouvrir”, which means to open.

These French words have remained with us as part of our rich carnival tradition. J’ouvert is the opening of our Spicemas celebrations, and it begins with the most prominent portrayal — the Jab Jab!

Starting J’ouvert at 6 am, or later, is contrary to the norm and tradition to the practice of J’ouvert. It is culturally and historically accurate and important to start J’ouvert at fore day morning at about 4 am and not at 6 am. The reason includes the masquerade of the “devil” comes out in the dark to scare and terrorise the “real” evildoers (their slave masters).

Specifically, the Jab Jab relies on the early morning’s pre-dawn hours to begin his portrayal. This is the time when devils are scariest, and the street becomes a theatre stage. Beginning in darkness and slowly revealing himself — the light eventually exposes the full Jab Jab.

This transformation, from the underworld to reality, seems to signify freedom from slavery. It represents a celebration of true freedom with the Jab Jabs bringing stories from the underworld in their rhythms, chants and songs. Therefore, it is important that as we preserve the Jab Jab tradition — a fore day commencement of the masquerade is kept intact.

I must reiterate that starting J’ouvert at 6 am, and as a matter of fact — playing Jab Jab all time of the day and into the night — is contrary to Jab Jab history and culture. When you paint your body in “ole oil” any time of day — it is no longer Jab Jab! it is just “dirty mas”.

I made that point to say there is a need to remedy 2 concerns that are creeping into Grenada’s carnival: firstly, the increasingly late start of J’ouvert; and secondly, the practice of playing Jab Jab all day.

Both practices remain unofficial and spontaneous; in other words, they are not official policy of the Spicemas Corporation (SMC), at least to the best of my knowledge. If it continues this way — J’ouvert and, importantly Jab Jab, risk losing their historical context and significance as a major part of Spicemas.

I don’t know the reason or reasons for these recent developments; but, I do know that the reasons are not because of scheduling conflicts or the claim that many people made 2 years ago — that the late start of J’ouvert was due to the fact that there was no calypso competition final at the Kirani James Stadium. This year, there was the calypso final at the national stadium on Sunday night and there was still a late start to J’ouvert.

My suspicion is that these new developments are related to the organisation of the Jab Jab bands and the conscientiousness of their leaders. Many of the band leaders may not be aware of the significance of the fore day morning start to J’ouvert, and, as such, may not be cognisant of the essentials of the tradition.

Similarly, playing Jab Jab all day long can be a sign of over-enthusiasm and excitement for playing the mas, and, certainly too, the impact of the spirits consumed around carnival time.

It seems to me that in remedying that aspect of our carnival, there is a need for the SMC to have early conversations with the Jab Jab mas band leaders, hear from the band leaders what their issues are and what might be the reason for the late start of J’ouvert, and put measures in place to correct the situation going forward.

In addition, we must embark on public education programs on the Jab Jab masquerade. These recommended seminars and workshops should be done in public spaces. And, the goal should be to teach Jab Jab beats; the proper construction of the songs (chants); the practice of Jab Jab spellings; the use of Jab Jab accessories such as coffins and chains; and, of course, the much-needed sensitisation against animal abuse. We must acknowledge and accept that we cannot condone nor accept animal cruelty in the portrayal of Jab Jab. Afterall, the historical origin of Jab Jab was as a protest against abuse and cruelty of all kinds.

There is, no doubt, that we have the best J’ouvert. And, we are now world renowned as the Mecca of the Jab Jab. Consequently, we now must ensure that we maintain the best practices and preserve and protect the tradition in the best way possible. Nothing less can be acceptable.