Community process and the performance of Muharram observances in Trinidad.

Abstract

Part of a special issue on Asian theater. A discussion of the Islamic muharram observances as practiced in two locations—one rural, one urban—on the island of Trinidad. The event functions differently for audience members and performers/artisans by conjuring up variegated images drawn from a long history of Shi'i observance on the one hand and Trinidadian experience on the other. For believers, the religious dimension, familial activity, and East Indian identity are highlighted through the inside, esoteric activities that occur during the 40 days leading up to the processions. The experience of the believers is not shared by the general public, which is largely non-Muslim and which neither understands nor is interested in the sacred dimension of the rituals. The event is defined by audience/performer interaction in a public space, imbued with an aura of both sacred and profane meaning; this interaction opens up the possibility of many levels of interpretation.