Chanting Down the New Jerusalem: Performing Revelation Calypso Style

Abstract

This article presents an approach to the book of Revelation from the perspective of translation as embodied performance. The performance is based on a specific hermeneutical framework from the Caribbean perspective of creolité, resulting in the actual performance of two passages (“Babylon has fallen” and “the New Jerusalem comes down”) in Papiamentu, a Creole language of the region. Thus, a modern Caribbean audience is challenged to engage with the text orally in relevant matters of oppression and the forging of a collective identity through the visions of John, the Seer. A brief sociocultural analysis of the book of Revelation and concrete performance criteria result in a basic script for audiovisual presentation. Ultimately, translation itself is a form of performance and performance is a form of translation. The preparation of the text and the actual performance open the door to a more concrete appropriation of the text through orality.