You could always find him there in the evening time, sitting on his stool, his back against the soursop tree, as if he gained strength from it. It was good to see him there, something certain: he seemed like our man of always and forever. Yes, it was always good to see Papa Boula. Boula was short for bamboula, because since he was a child — now approaching his eighth decade — he’d been known as a great drummer, a sentinel of heritage. As well as mastering ka and conga, life had touched him with wisdom.
Demonstrating the deep respect he generated amongst us, only those of his generation called him Boula; for the rest of us, it was Papa Boula, Papa B or Papa.
People would gather around him, sitting or laying on the grass or mats. And there was always a cup of soursop for everyone; he never seemed to run out of it. Of course, others would make contributions, bringing lime, cinnamon, honey, sugar or milk: or ice.
One time, while sitting here on St. Thomas, around the Soursop Shrine, he took us to Burkina Faso. Some had not heard of it, so he explained that it was the country directly north of Ghana; that the biggest film festival in Africa takes place in that country, every two years, in the capital called Ouagadougou. He told us of the Golden Stallion, as every Hollywood director, wants to win the Oscar. He took us to Burkina Faso, because of the calabash, known here as squash. You see, we’d been talking about an upcoming concert in Charlotte Amalie, featuring Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights. Anyway, amongst the Mossi — some say Moose — there is a sacred drum called Bendre; the player of the drum, lauded by his fellow musicians, carries that name also. They take a large calabash, cut the top off, covering it with goatskin. Traditionally, it was only played on special occasions, when the chief had given permission. Like the jali of the Mandinka, or others who come under the generic title of griot, the bendre is genealogist and historian, as well as storyteller.
And as we have learnt and laughed with Anansi, so the Mossi have done the same with Mba Soambe, the hare: another alumni of the trickster academy. That evening became known as the Calabash Workshop; all from talking about the squash of quelbe
Sometimes, no one would want to leave the presence of Papa Boula. There was always knowledge to be shared, digested with the soursop juice; and there was always gentleness there also.
— Due to the dearth of provision in Oxford, England, in 2009, Natty Mark Samuels set up African School, offering African Studies to the general public. Teaching has taken place in a wide range of settings; schools, community projects, museums, colleges, youth clubs, universities, libraries, carnivals and botanical gardens. It has a specialism in African and Caribbean folklore. He is the founder of Rootical Folklore and Birago Day: African and Caribbean Folklore Day. He wrote the Encyclopedia of Rootical Folklore and The Birago Diop Trilogy.
