St Richard's School, Kingston, Makes Pitchy-Patchy Costumes

Programme Outline

Four kids rush to school through the streets of Kingston, Jamaica, carrying bundles of rags and old clothes. They help the school cook empty a sack of rice into a cooking pot – they need the sack for their costume. They cut head and arm holes in the sack and then begin cutting the old clothes into strips. They tie strips of cloth into the weave of the sack. As they work, another boy is painting masks with triangular eyes and huge gaping mouths.
Outside, a crowd is beginning to gather. They have whistles, drums, pots, pans and spoons, ready to make some noise. Finally, the last costume is finished. The kids put on their Pitchy-Patchy costumes and masks and head out to the playground. The band begins to play. Surrounded by their friends, the Pitchy-Patchy kids begin their dance-off.