Errol John’s Moon On A Rainbow Shawl tells the story of Ephraim, a man who will let nothing stop him escaping his dead-end job for a fresh start in England.

Moon On A Rainbow Shawl is set amid the teeming populace of Old Mack’s cacophonous yard in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It’s a cheek by jowl existence lived out on a sweltering public stage. Snatches of calypso compete with hymn tunes, drums and street cries as neighbours drink, brawl, pass judgment, make love, look out for each other and crave a better life.

Set as returning troops from the Second World War fill the town with their raucous celebrations, Moon On A Rainbow Shawl, written in 1953, depicts a vibrant, cosmopolitan world that is as harsh as it is filled with colour and warmth.