society
JINGLE BELLS”: From Minstrel Stage to Global Holiday Anthem
“JINGLE BELLS”: From Minstrel Stage to Global Holiday Anthem.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com
“A Song’s Roots in Racist Entertainment, Not African Bondage”
Every December, millions around the world (including countless Africans) raise their voices to sing “Jingle Bells,” heralding the festive Christmas season with joy and cheer. The familiar refrain “Jingle all the way” fills streets, homes, malls, schools, and churches, becoming part of the soundtrack of holiday celebration. But beneath the bright bells and festive rhythm lies a history that many do not know — one that does not originate with snowy sleigh rides alone, nor with a symbol of African suffering in bondage, but with a darker chapter of American cultural history: the minstrel show and the racist entertainment industry of the 19th century.
Dispelling a Myth — No Evidence of Jingle Bells as Slave Restraints. A claim circulating online and shared across social media is that the song Jingle Bells is tied to the bells shackled to the feet of enslaved Africans to prevent escape. This narrative (while emotionally powerful) is not supported by credible historical research or primary sources. Historians who have studied the song’s origin find no documented evidence that the bells referenced in the song were ever used in that form of bondage or that the song was written about such practices. The song’s lyrics describe sleigh rides in snowy landscapes — a setting completely disconnected from the lived geography and conditions of enslaved Africans in the United States. Moreover, rigorous academic and archival research into the song’s creation and performances do not link the melody or original lyrics to slave restraints or such specific symbols of oppression.
Let us be clear: the Atlantic slave trade and the brutal systems of bondage inflicted countless horrors on Africans and their descendants — atrocities that deserve remembrance, recognition, and rightful place in human history. But the specific claim about “Jingle Bells” being directly linked to bells used on slaves’ feet is not documented in credible historical record and should not be perpetuated as fact. Doing so risks confusing myth with history, even as it speaks to very real broader legacies of violence.
So What Is the True Origin of “Jingle Bells”?
The song we know today was originally written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857 under the title “The One Horse Open Sleigh” and was published in Boston, Massachusetts. It was not written as a Christmas song, and its lyrics make no mention of the holiday — yet it became associated with Christmas decades later.
Pierpont himself had a complex personal history that reflects the deeply divided America of his time. Born into a New England family, he later moved to Savannah, Georgia. While his father was an abolitionist clergyman, James Pierpont diverged sharply from that stance: with the outbreak of the American Civil War, he became a supporter of the Confederate cause and even wrote songs expressing his allegiance.
Minstrel Shows: Where “Jingle Bells” First Lived
Perhaps most troubling (and most ignored) is the first known performance context of the song.
In September 1857, “The One Horse Open Sleigh” debuted at Ordway Hall in Boston as part of a minstrel show performed in blackface, delivered by entertainer Johnny Pell and his troupe.
Minstrel shows were a distinctly racist form of popular entertainment in 19th-century America: white performers would paint their faces black, caricature African Americans, and mock Black culture for white audiences, reinforcing degrading and stereotypical images. They were not benign entertainment; they were systematic performances that commodified and ridiculed people of African descent.
This fact matters. It places Jingle Bells squarely in the cultural machinery of racial mockery — not as a song about sleigh rides alone, but as part of a broader racist performance tradition that normalized inequality and dehumanization long before the Civil Rights Movement and long after slavery had been abolished in the North.
As theatre historian Kyna Hamill (Boston University) has shown, the earliest documented performance of the song occurred on a minstrel stage and was part of a genre of songs that lampooned Black people’s participation in common winter activities, complete with stereotyped caricatures. These performances were part of a genre of blackface songs that profited from racist tropes common in American culture before, during, and after slavery.
The Irony of Cultural Forgetting. For Africans today (particularly in diaspora communities) singing “Jingle Bells” has become an expression of Christian joy and universal festive spirit. Yet that joyful singing often happens without awareness of the song’s troubling early context. There is a profound irony here:
A melody once delivered on racist stages has become a global emblem of unity and celebration. Yet most who sing it have never confronted its history.
This irony is not unique to “Jingle Bells.” Much of Western popular culture carries with it legacies and traces of historical injustice — from blues music shaped in contexts of Black struggle, to spirituals born out of pain and hope. But understanding that history is not an act of cancellation; it is an act of respect for truth and memory.
What Scholars Say
While Jingle Bells is not explicitly a song about slavery, scholars argue that we must acknowledge how racist entertainment traditions helped shape what became the song we know today:
Kyna Hamill, theatre historian, emphasizes that the song first appeared in the repertoire of minstrel shows — a form that reinforced racial stereotypes and profited from demeaning representations of African Americans.
Historian analyses point out that the song’s history “has quietly eluded its racialized past,” becoming popularized later as a Christmas staple while its early context was forgotten by mainstream audiences.
These interpretations help us understand why today’s celebrations, though joyful, should be informed by context and critical memory.
Reclaiming Memory, Without Denying Joy
Africans and people of African descent around the world should not be made to feel ashamed of celebrating Christmas or singing Jingle Bells. The song as it exists today (with its cheerful chorus) carries no overt racist text, and millions sing it without any malicious intent. What must change, however, is the narrative of ignorance surrounding it.
The past we inherit is neither tidy nor always righteous. Human history is filled with beauty born in struggle and joy that rises above pain. To sing Jingle Bells while understanding its roots is not to erase joy, but it is to honor truth.
In Summary: Understanding Without Simplifying. The idea that Jingle Bells was literally a “SIGNAL of OPPRESSION” for enslaved Africans, using bells tied to feet, is a myth that should not be elevated as fact. However, the song does have a racially charged origin story, connected to minstrel shows and one of the most blatant expressions of systemic mockery and racism in 19th-century America.
As Africans engage with global culture, historical awareness must go hand in hand with celebration. To acknowledge the shadows in our cultural heritage is not to diminish the light, though it is to ensure our joy is grounded in truth and resilient against forgetting.
Only then can we sing our songs (even the joyful ones) with clearer minds, open hearts, and remembrance of those whose histories were overlooked.
society
Governor Dauda Lawal Hails Troops for Successful Fight against Banditry, Terrorism across Zamfara State
Governor Dauda Lawal Hails Troops for Successful Fight against Banditry, Terrorism across Zamfara State
Governor Dauda Lawal has commended the troops of the Joint Task Force (North West) Operation Fansan Yamma for achieving significant operational successes against bandits in Zamfara State. The troops of the Joint Task Force launched an elaborate and coordinated onslaught in the early hours of Thursday, May 7, 2026, in the Kaura Namoda and Birnin Magaji Local Government Areas of Zamfara State. Following the encounter, troops effectively neutralised three gang leaders and recovered a cache of weapons and ammunition, which included an AK-47 rifle, a machine gun, a locally fabricated handgun, seven rifle magazines and a total of 571 rounds of ammunition.
Governor Lawal described the renewed military offensive as timely, particularly due to the successful operation recorded on May 10, 2026, which disrupted a significant gathering of notorious terrorist leaders and neutralised several commanders. The troops acted on an intelligence report that confirmed that the terrorists had converged at a concealed location in Tumfa Village, Shinkafi Local Government Area, with the intention to coordinate attacks and criminal activities targeting innocent communities in the state. The Air Component launched a precision airstrike on the identified terrorist hideout that successfully destroyed the structure, which served as the terrorists’ meeting point. The governor further reiterates Zamfara State Government’s commitment to ongoing support and logistics for the military and other security agencies operating in the state.
Old Students Association rejects alleged commercialisation of Unity School land
By Ifeoma Ikem
The Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA) has rejected the alleged commercialisation of any unity schools land under the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) initiative.
The association made its displeasure known during their awareness walk to protest the concession of the 33 hectares of land belonging to Federal Government College (FGC) Kano yesterday in Lagos.
The members were carrying placards, some of which read “PPP: Save the Future”, “Protect Unity Schools”, “PPP must serve Education not land conversion” and “Schools are not for Real Estate”.
President-General of the Unity Schools Old Students Association USOSA Michael Magaji says Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) was designed to improve public institutions, and not strip them of assets or reduce their land.
Over 60 Unity schools members were drawn from across the nation for the awareness walk to protest against the alleged sale of the school lands.
The P-G said the association was advocating for a sustainable funding model that would preserve educational assets while improving infrastructure, manpower and learning conditions.
“Our coming together is to restore the lost glory of Unity Schools and strengthen Nigeria’s education system. Unity schools are nation-building institutions that have produced leaders across various sectors.
“Unity Schools were not just about education, they were about integration built not by spectators but by active citizens that believe in one nation.
“ The alumni support PPP but oppose the sale of educational assets. Unity never happens by chance but designed, nurtured and protected,’’ he added.
He added that the awareness walk brought about by the alumni across the nation was also to have a stronger network to revive the vision of the Unity Schools.
Mr Humphrey Nwafor, Lagos Chapter President, Federal Government College, Kano Old Students Association said that they are pushing back against the alleged commercialisation of Unity School lands.
Nwafor pointed out that the 33 hectares of land belonging to FGC Kano was concessioned without adequate consultation with stakeholders.
“We are saying there is a better option. Instead of selling our lands and assets, we would rather fund the schools ourselves.
“If the government says it does not have enough money to run the schools, the old students can provide support without taking one inch of the land,” he said.
According to him, the concession arrangement involving the school’s land will undermine the future of unity schools, which were established in the first place to promote national integration.
“These schools were established to unite Nigerians from different ethnic and religious backgrounds and we are appealing to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure that public educational assets are protected,” he added.
He called on the Federal Government to leverage alumni networks in addressing funding challenges confronting unity schools.
“We are in solution mode and impact mode and we believe alumni associations should be integrated into the process of repositioning these schools.
“We recently met with officials of the Federal Ministry of Education and discussions are ongoing toward finding mutually beneficial solutions,” he said.
Mr Alex Akindumila, President of FGC Idoani Alumni Association said the concession controversy was a national test of how public assets and educational institutions are being managed.
He said that they are concerned that reducing lands allocated to unity schools could limit future expansion, agricultural projects, sports facilities, technical workshops and staff accommodation.
“The lands allocated to unity schools were deliberate and visionary.“They were designed to ensure that the schools remain self-sustaining and adaptable to future needs.
According to him, when you shrink the land of a unity school, you do not just reduce space, but reduce possibility , reduce ability to run agricultural programs that can feed students and teach enterprise, even the space required for sports facilities that build discipline, health and national pride.
Also, Mrs Ifeoma Okeke, an alumna of FGC Nsukka, called for transparency, due process and stakeholder engagement in any PPP arrangement involving educational institutions.
She said PPP agreements should align with the public purpose of the schools and not diminish their long-term capacity.
“There must be transparency, competitiveness and proper stakeholder engagement in any concession process involving public educational assets,” she said.
society
NAPS Southwest Condemns Delay in Passage of HND,/B.SC Dichotomy Bill, Issues 30 Days Ultimatum to Nigeria Senate and Federal House of Representative
NAPS Southwest Condemns Delay in Passage of HND,/B.SC Dichotomy Bill, Issues 30 Days Ultimatum to Nigeria Senate and Federal House of Representative
The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) Southwest has strongly condemned the continued delay in the passage of the bill aimed at ending the long-standing disparity between Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) qualifications in Nigeria. The association has described the delay as unjust, discriminatory, and harmful to the future of polytechnic education in the country.
The NAPS Southwest expressed deep frustration over what it called the unacceptable silence and inaction from the Nigerian Senate and Federal House of Representatives regarding the bill. The proposed legislation seeks to abolish the dichotomy between HND and B.Sc holders, a divide that has for years limited career progression opportunities for polytechnic graduates, particularly in the public sector.
This ongoing delay represents a significant policy gap that must be urgently addressed. The continued discrimination against HND holders contradicts the principles of equity, fairness, and meritocracy that should define Nigeria’s public service.
For years, polytechnic students and graduates have faced systemic discrimination in employment opportunities, career progression, and societal recognition an injustice that undermines the value of technical and vocational education in national development. The proposed bill represents a critical step toward equity, fairness, and the full recognition of polytechnic education in Nigeria.
We therefore call on the current administration and the National Assembly to prioritize the reintroduction and immediate passage of this critical legislation. Nigeria cannot afford to sideline a significant segment of its skilled workforce due to outdated and discriminatory policies.
It is therefore disheartening that the Nigeria Senate and House of Representatives has yet to act decisively on this matter of urgent national importance. The continued delay raises serious questions about the commitment of lawmakers to addressing the challenges faced by millions of Nigerian youths in the polytechnic system.
The NAPS southwest unequivocally calls on the Senate and House of Representatives to, without further delay, deliberate on and pass the bill to end the HND/B.Sc dichotomy. The future of countless students and graduates depends on this decisive action.
The continued delay in passing this bill is a direct attack on the dignity and future of millions of Nigerian students and graduates, the statement read. We cannot continue to tolerate a system that places artificial barriers on capable individuals simply because of the institution they attended.
Failure to meet this demand will leave NAPS Southwest with no choice but to mobilize Nigerian Polytechnic Students and Graduates across the country for peaceful but firm actions to press home our demands. We are prepared to take all legitimate steps necessary to ensure that justice is served.
NAPS Southwest has therefore issued a strong warning to the Senate and House of Representatives, urging lawmakers to prioritize and immediately pass the bill without further delay. The association made it clear that failure to act promptly would trigger nationwide protests and coordinated actions by Nigerian polytechnic students and graduates.
We urge all relevant stakeholders to initiate comprehensive reforms that will harmonize qualification frameworks, ensure equal opportunities for career advancement, and restore confidence in the civil service system.
NAPS Southwest remains committed to advocating for the rights and dignity of polytechnic students and graduates across Nigeria. We will continue to engage constructively with policymakers and mobilize support until justice is achieved.
Signed
Comr Ogunsola Adewale John
NAPS Southwest Coordinator
+234 704 720 2907
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