The annual Yoruba Village Drum Festival marks the beginning of a months-long calendar of events leading up to Emancipation Day.
The festival pays tribute to what was historically known as Yoruba Village, which is now made up of communities including Belmont, Gonzales, Laventille, Morvant, and John John.
Held on the eve of Father’s Day, Executive Chairman of the Emancipation Support Committee Zakiya Uzoma Wodada says it remains a symbolic gathering to honour ancestors and reaffirm cultural identity.
“Each year we come here in Tribute to our ancestors and to the fathers of the community because we always do it the day before father’s day. And to the community to play our drums and to pay homage to our culture and the culture of this community. This is part of the Pan-African Festival TT of the Emancipation.”
Following the drum festival, a series of weekly lectures will be launched online, leading into July’s expanded cultural programme at the Lidj Yasu Omowale Emancipation Village.
Ms Uzoma Wodada says the initiative is also designed to support entrepreneurship, with more than 200 vendors expected to participate in the commemoration.
“We are preparing and working hard towards our annual celebration. This festival is extremely important to us and we are making every effort to ensure that it is successful once again in 2026. And we look forward to all of our people, all of the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago coming and celebrating with us the 180th Anniversary of Emancipation of Africans from enslavement.”
Organisers say the challenge now is ensuring that Emancipation is not only remembered once a year but understood as a living history that continues to shape identity in Trinidad and Tobago.