The Kiskadee is a bird native to Guyana and often referred to in Edgar Mittelholzer's brilliant novel, The Life and Death of Sylvia (1953). The bird is so named because its cry seemed by French colonists to be enquiring: "Qu’ est ce qu’il dit?". So what did he say? This blog is about two key topics: EDGAR MITTELHOLZER (his life and his works) and ME (my encounter with Mittelholzer and tales of life in Guyana).

Saturday, 23 August 2014

Queh Queh in Guyana

My husband's cousin invited me to her friend's Queh Queh (a celebration that takes place among some members of the Afro-Guyanese community the night before an official wedding-day). The ceremony reminded me a lot of engagement parties in Ghana in that the groom's family have to go in search of the (disguised) bride and offer her family a suitable 'ransom' for her hand in marriage. The celebration, as in most Ghanaian events, began with the pouring of libation. In this clip the bride is the middle-aged lady holding a white hat (there is hope for all of you singletons). I found the whole ceremony overwhelming. It was very moving to be part of a cultural event that has survived the trauma of the Middle Passage.



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  1. RoyB3 November 2018 at 18:41

    While I, like you, truly admire the fact that Queh Queh has survived slavery, the dancers in this clip are NOT dancing Queh Queh, which is a dance where one shuffles the left foot and pounds the floor/ground hard with the right heel. Further, Queh Queh has no drums; the pounding right feet create the rhythm. People now-a-days use the drum to hide the fact that the dancers DO NOT KNOW Queh Queh songs, as is the case with the brothers and sisters in this video. Waak good, Roy Brummell

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