3. The Carriacou people - Avey’s ultimate spiritual guide However, all the events that she experienced during the last couple of days of her vacation guide our character to the moment of revelation: her encounter with Joseph Lebert, the subsequent trip to Carriacou and the Beg Pardon Ceremony, are the culmination of Avey’s seeking journey, where she rediscovers her cultural heritage as well as her true identity. It all starts with Avatara’s long stroll down the beach, the stumbling upon a rum shop and her encounter with Joseph, a particularly odd old man whose attitude confuses her, but at the same time shares light with regards to Avey’s problem in associating herself with the diasporic community: “What’s your nation? he asked her […] Aranda? … Cromanti maybe? … Yarraba then? … Moko?” […] “What was the man going on about? What were these names? […] Africa? Did they have something to do with Africa?” (Marshall, 1983: 167). Avey’s lack of knowledge enlightens Lebert to see the actual reason why she is there: her spiritual quest to rediscover herself and to get in touch with her African roots. And what better way than Avey’s participation in the annual Beg Pardon Ceremony, on the Carriacou Island, where people honor their ancestors and reminisce them and their history.
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Turner Smith writes that “the experience of the ring-shout and Carriacou Tramp take Avey back in time and place – not directly to Africa, but to the shared history of her diasporic people” (2008: 722)
Praisesong for the Widow is about a woman's journey and her mission to learn about her culture in the face of a tempting Western culture that seems to deny history and
Turner Smith writes that “the experience of the ring-shout and Carriacou Tramp take Avey back in time and place – not directly to Africa, but to the shared history of her diasporic people” (2008: 722)
Praisesong for the Widow is about a woman's journey and her mission to learn about her culture in the face of a tempting Western culture that seems to deny history and