Sweet Tassa: Music of the Indian Caribbean Diaspora

Brought to Trinidad by indentured labourers from India who first arrived in 1845, tassa drumming has become an important marker of Indian Trinidadian cultural identity. “Sweet Tassa” explores both musical and socio-political elements of tassa performance, focusing on the life and family of noted drummer Lenny Kumar. As the story unfolds, tassa emerges as a metaphor for Indian Caribbean culture, rooted in India while also thoroughly Caribbean.