This chapter introduces African work and lays out the book's key argument: African work in Grenada is not a residue of recaptive Yoruba peoples but emerged from exchanges on and beyond Grenada. It examines the nineteenth-century slave trade, British suppression, the displacement of Yoruba speakers, and the various indentureship schemes in the British Caribbean. It provides a critical examination of the historiography of Grenada's African-derived religious cultures and recaptured Africans and shows how the book re-conceptualises the cultural legacies of recaptured Africans, particularly through 'un-islanding' the Orisa religion. This introductory chapter also outlines the wide range of sources used in the work, such as oral, archival, and ethnographic material.

This chapter beams the light on the artistry achievements of Africans and signifies their “flourishing culture.” The major aspect of artistry being celebrated is sculptures. From this chapter, one is able to deduce that the carvings are such that “Yoruba history and culture can be perceived, interpreted and understood” through them. They manifest in many forms (materially), such as bronze, clay, stone, and wood, all of whom were discussed to fully understand and appreciate the creativity inherent in the African culture before and after colonialism. With several references to specific sculptural works and pictorial evidence, mostly from his personal collection, the author describes how Yoruba sculptors (Gbenagbena or Gbegilere) translate and manipulate natural elements and past-but-relevant happenings into artistic objects. Also discussed is the measure of a sculptor’s worth, which cannot be defined by Western currency but by the level of creativity and beauty apparent in his artwork, some of which depict African cultural ideas, principles, and attributes, such as Omoluabi, Iwapele, Didan, and Idogba. The chapter extensively discusses the importance sculptors place on the head, and also defends African sculptures against Western criticism.