Once upon a time, radio was king of the airwaves and radio shows with voice, music, and sound effects ruled the imagination.
Today, radio has to compete like any other media to win and keep audiences
glued to it for that age-old pastime of storytelling. And Pearl radio 98.1 FM might have
hit on an interesting St. Martin Day broadcast special.
The radio station will air “Cradle of the Nation” at 12 midnight on November 11
and again at 3 PM of the same day, celebrated island-wide as St. Martin Day, said veteran
broadcaster Mama’s Pearl.
“The ‘Cradle of the Nation’ poem is a virtual mythology of the St. Martin people.
The storied ‘voice’ is the Great Salt Pond, telling, reminding, and asking the people about
aspects of their past, present, and future,” said Jacqueline Sample of House of Nehesi
Publishers (HNP).
The 13-minute dramatic poem, written and recited by Lasana M. Sekou,
accompanied by an orchestra of world beats and sound effects by Angelo Rombley, will
be played by 98.1 FM from The Salt Reaper CD, an HNP production.
Mama’s Pearl tagged the idea with HNP on Thursday. “This is what we do. We
already have The Salt Reaper and the CD by Erna-Mae Francis in our system. The poetry
just pops up every now and then between the music; all of a sudden the words come in,
talking to you, then it’s back to music,” said Pearl.
Mama’s Pearl’s audiences may indeed be accustomed to shorter spokenword
recordings as part of the station’s music programming. But “Cradle of the nation” is the
longest track on a CD “brimming with poetry cascading around music in motion,”
according to RadioIndy.com.
“At midnight St. Martin Day, and at three o’clock in the afternoon on November
11, listeners can follow along with The Salt Reaper book,” said Sample, “or just
experience the radio recital and music of this original story of the St. Martin people,” said
Sample.
According to Pearl, the station’s programs have “reached many Caribbean islands,
Europe, The U.S.A., China and even Africa.”
“Everyone is invited to tune in for ‘Cradle of the Nation.’ It’s a St. Martin Day
special” radio-theater, on 98.1 Pearl FM, said Mama’s Pearl.