OBEAH

OBEAH is a Caribbean term for African-derived spiritual practices that colonial law once described as ‘witchcraft or working by spells or professed supernatural power’. On Montserrat, often called the Emerald Isle for its Irish heritage, these practices are questioned and restricted while its colonial heritage is celebrated. A 1905 report lists the ‘instruments of obeah’ seized as evidence for convictions. This piece draws its text from those records. Each of these confiscated objects hold power not through magic alone, but in the histories it carries, its memories and culture. Through incantation-like repetition, I explore a space to share and understand, to reclaim language once used to accuse, and to heal. In engaging with this history, I invite you to reflect on the questions it raises: what should we honour, what do we forget, and what do we leave unnamed?

Nicholas Chalmers conductor

Production Team  Josh Quinlan Album Producer David Jones Mastering Engineer

Tracks 1,3,5,7 Josh Quinlan Audio Producer David Jones Recording Engineer Recorded at Rossall School, Fleetwood (July 2025)