Helena Allum

“I could knock about good you know - football, cricket, athletics...” And he plans to knock about some more “if God spares life”.

Andrew Worrell has been involved in Best Village for the past thirty years. He has been producer-director of folk concerts, craftsman, costume designer and maker, Village Olympics coordinator and so much more. At the end of this year's Best Village competition he has decided to rest his nimble fingers.

Although he feels that physically he can still go on he admits that he needs some time for himself and that it's time to take a rest. His children have been more than hinting that he should go on a holiday.

Without the pressure of having to write and rewrite scripts for the folk concerts and when he no longer shoulders the responsibility for practice sessions he would have time to go to the beach, visit friends and take in those football matches in Palo Seco and whereabouts.

 Those who know Mr Worrell may laughingly speculate that this is the kind of knocking about which would soon find him taking on other responsibilities.

For the moment we were chatting in his living room at Siparia. The weekend had been a full one for him. He was at the Queen’s Park Savannah to see Morne Diablo and Malick Folk Performers in the Best Village Competition on Friday night.

Then he returned to Port of Spain on Saturday for the football match between Trinidad and Tobago and the USA. Later that evening it was the Savannah again for the La Reine Rive show at which La Divina Pastora were performing their integration dance. Mr Worrell's life has been characterised by this kind of involvement in community activities.

Village Olympics

His love for what he calls “folk” is like the biblical lamp that cannot be put under a tub. He recalls that when the Best Village Concerts first started in 1964 they were called Community Concerts and participants could have done anything - classics included. Most of the villages especially in the country areas chose folk items and so the folk concerts became a signature part of the Best Village competition.

So come 1967 it was pure folk concert, folk food -authentic style, and handicraft. Siparia won the three categories - handicraft, food and concert. Mr Worrell was involved only in the handicraft segment that year but in following years extended his involvement to the folk concerts. Having won this competition in 1964 and 1967 Siparia won it again for the third time in 1970.

Mr Worrell is able to work folk customs into his plays and to rekindle in the villagers, their knowledge of folk dances and practices. After his initial involvement with what was the Siparia Welfare Council he was given an assignment to choose a remote village and work with them in the Best Village competition.

By this time some villages had already emerged as centres and others as periphery or “behind God back”. The latter felt that they could in no way compete with the “big guns” as far as fund-raising, organising and performing were concerned. Mr Worrell was determined to prove them wrong.

Andrew Worrell

He wanted these villages to experience that it doesn't matter how small a community is if members get serious and get help they can do just as well. If only they believe in themselves.

While deciding on which village he should work with, he was giving his time to the Village Olympics 1972 and went to Morne Diablo Community Centre to check out the table tennis board and lights for hosting this part of the competition.

He remembers very distinctly that as he walked into the Community Centre someone said. “Look him. Mr Worrell, we just talking 'bout you.” They had never passed beyond the preliminary round of the Best Village competition and they wanted help to do so. He no longer had to choose a village. They had chosen him.

With his guidance the folk dances and folklore emerged. The Folk Spirit must have come also. Many nights the Community Centre used to be full of people during rehearsals as villagers became more and more enthused about what was happening. Among those who were showing interest were some young men who used to be liming in the sheds outside.

At Mr Worrell's insistence they had been invited in. He remembers that as some came in they took off their caps. When he saw this he felt that Morne Diablo had a lot going for it.

Belé and stick-fights

They did not win that year 1973. They lost to Petit Valley by one point. Of course Mr Worrell feels that they should have won. In their second year they again lost, this time to Barataria by half of a point. Even parish priest Fr Clarke thought they were robbed, but he continued to support them.

They won in '75 and '76 and three times after that. After his involvement with them Mr Worrell went to work with Penal and Fyzabad. They too did well in the competitions.

But where did this love for folk culture come from? Well he did some drama at both Siparia RC and Siparia Presbyterian Schools. Both these schools did a lot of concerts.

However he never followed up on this acting. As a child he used to go to the Belé Festivals. In those days these festivals were community feasts. They were not stage performances. He remembers being captivated by drumming and singing.

The stick fights also used to draw him from the time he was about ten years old up to today. During the Carnival season, Friday and Saturday nights found him at these stick fights.

Working with George Bailey

Playwright, producer/director, sportsman... but there is more. Mr Worrell is also a Carnival costume designer/maker. His daughters have all competed in Kiddies Carnival at the various venues and were always among the top place winners.

So much so that it was taken for granted every year that one of them would be competing in a costume designed by their father. The Worrell name was a strong one in the competition. His costume designing also extends to the La Reine Rive competition.

This talent he credits to his mother. She used to produce some of the finest crochet pieces in the area. The wives of the expatriates who worked in the area used to come looking for her to make their petticoats. She was neat and clean in her crochet work. One of his brothers (now deceased) was also an outstanding artist and won a scholarship because of his drawing ability.

Some of this artistic ability was also nurtured by his love for Carnival and his association with George Bailey who was a good friend. Mr Worrell used to travel from Siparia to Port of Spain to ask Mr Bailey for ideas for his costumes. Sometimes, he helped at the mas' camp with the making of costumes. He feels that art is “part of my system”.

No easy taskmaster

His family has always been involved with him in his various activities. Unlike his own parents, who did not push him into the folk culture or sports, he has made a conscious effort to get his seven children to participate in all his activities. He remembers taking the older ones to the beach at Los Iros and teaching them to get down on their marks for starting a race.

People looking on would comment on how well they were doing. For him this was just something you taught children to do. Up to today, his children have a keen interest in all sport.

They grew up with him in Best Village, performing in the dances, drama and music. In his own words, “my wife does not miss one of our shows.”

In the same way that his love for “folk” is like a lamp that cannot be hidden, it is very clear who holds the place of honour in his life. Whenever he talks about his wife Patricia he does so with an aura of love, respect and devotion that cannot be hidden.

Now that his active involvement in Best Village is over Mr Worrell recalls some of the places outside of Trinidad that the folk culture has taken him. He went with Morne Diablo group to Washington for the 200th US Independence celebrations, to Cuba for Carifesta and, most memorable of all to Nigeria. He never imagined that he would touch African soil, but Best Village was responsible for taking him there.

Trinidad and Tobago and Soweto were the two most popular groups among more than a hundred groups. The All Stars Steel Orchestra and Sparrow were part of the contingent.

At the official end of the festival they were to have a week free to themselves. However they were in total demand, having to do two shows per day. Whatever changes are taking place in Best Village he hopes that they will bring these kinds of benefits to the ordinary people.

There has been no separation in his involvement in Church and Best Village; they have complemented each other. It was while he was working with Fyzabad that he invited his parish priest Fr Denis Power to pray with the group before a big performance.

Fr Power was impressed by the enthusiasm he saw and encouraged Mr Worrell to share his talent with Siparia once again. They re-entered the competition as La Divina Pastora RC Community.

Anyone who has worked with Mr Worrell will tell you that he is no easy task master. But they will also add that he is good at what he does. His community and surrounding areas have benefited from his presence and his work.