MIDNIGHT ROBBER
Imagine seeing a doom-and-gloom figure with a huge wide brim hat, coffin and gun stalking onto a stage, blowing a shrill whistle and bellowing at you to stop and fall to your knees before regaling you with the brutalities he has committed both in this world and others, including hell. The Midnight Robber deals in terror and their speeches are long and macabre, to say the least. The robber is steeped in the Western movie culture that was rampant in Trinidad decades ago, using words as his weapon, instead of gunshots. Robber speech — it’s a bit like battle rap meets slam poetry — is still taught by stalwarts of the tradition.