The practice, over the years, has declined considerably. The cannon-like sound from the bamboo is hardly heard in several communities today, a testament to the decline of this tradition. But all is not lost as here and there the canon-like sound can be heard, evident that the tradition is still being held on to.
Sunday’s Jounen Kweyol in Anse-La-Raye showed that the tradition is alive. The young men in the photo performed magnificently in showing onlookers the range of sounds that could come out of the bamboo, at the same time revealing the level of dexterity needed to avoid their eyebrows getting scorched.
One end of the bamboo is left closed, and a small hole is burrowed in the side of that end of the bamboo. To ‘burst’ the bamboo, one must pour kerosene down the small (hole) and light it repeatedly while blowing on the flame.