Ethiopian 'Minstrels' played at the opening ceremony of the Lincoln Arboretum

[leggo rocker]

...in 1872 in front of 45.000 people!!!

I live opposite a beautiful Victorian park in Lincoln, called the Arboretum.

I also now work in the Arboretum as my new cafe is in the old Park Keeper's Lodge house within the grounds of the park.

So I have been doing some reading on the park's history and was amazed, amused and very pleased to read that 'Ethiopian Minstrels' played at the opening ceremony back in 1872!

I wish I had seen, and heard, that!!

I wish I could get them back for a reunion concert!

Rasta Fari!

[MadAmigo]

Is it this park ?

http://www.learnwithmuseums.org.uk/muse ... ue_in.html

When I first saw the picture I thought maybe Leggo had been out with her Red, Gold and Green paint !

[Bellyman]

I am not good at English history at all, but hasn't there been a 'Royal Clash' in medieval time in Lincoln too ?
Maybe there the roots were laid for a sound-clash ?

[leggo rocker]

Yes MadAmigo, that is the Lion that I can see from my window. He's straight in front of my house and also the cafe. LION!

I think Bellyman is also right, but there's been lots of fighting throughout history taking place here.

I will now use this history of the Ethiopian Minstrels to push the City Council into allowing me to broadcast Jamaican Music from the bandstand at maximum volume.

Funny thing is that the City Council recently approved a Military Tattoo to take place in the park and yet refused a planned Peace Festival claiming the residents wouldn't like the noise. Well, I'm one of those residents and I don't like to see uniforms of war glorifying death and destruction but I would like to see the park full of people grooving to a peace message!

[leggo rocker]

I just edited all this to correct the spelling of Minstrels. My life in publishing just wont leave me alone...

[bmd]

The term Ethiopian Minstrels is most normally associated with the touring Banjo playing Minstrels of the 1800's, normally made up, just like the Black and White Minstrels we used to endure on Telly here in the UK. Ethiopian Minstrels are more akin to American Traditional Music and cob African pastiche than anything Ethiopian...

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/af ... jo-250.jpg

[MadAmigo]

Sadly Leggo I fear that the Minstrels who played at the opening of the park was probably these people

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Serenaders

From the little that I have read it seems that these were not nice people but basically caused a lot of hatred. You would not want these people to go anywhere near your park.

http://www.nfo.net/usa/JO.html#ABellum

However there are some genuine Ethiopian Minstrels so maybe you could get these Guys.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... i_19557192

[leggo rocker]

I thought it was too good to be true. Victorians not being the most enlightened people and all that.

I will try to find out more about the troupe that performed there in 1872.

Rather than get some minstrels to play in the park, I'd like Sugar Minott backed by the Roots Radics

Or even just getting the City Council to allow me to rig up a Sound System on the Band Stand so I could blast out some reggae vinyl would be cool!

[bullit]

Interesting to find out about all the history nethertheless. Hope you get your wish Leggo, i'd be there!

[bmd]

The troupes of touring 'Ethiopian Minstrels' were not as i may have suggested white guys 'blacked up' at this time, but were very likely to be Black men playing. The white 'Minstrels' really took off in the 1920s and 30s.