You've been ripped from your native land and brought to this very strange, very small, and very unknown place.

You've have been given one day a year to embrace your heritage, one outlet to remember what's it's like in your native Africa and native America.

On this day, the slaves dressed in Gombey attire covering their entire bodies in order to protest without fear of retribution and they danced in the streets forgetting their strife for those few hours of freedom.

Behind the Mask: Bermuda Gombeys Past, Present and Future is a enthralling documentary about this historical tradition and its evolvement over the years.

The director, Bermudian born, Adrian Kawaley-Lathan, talks with Gary Philips JP, Louise Jackson and many other Gombey founders and followers about the meaning and symbolization of the Gombeys.

Many Bermudians have traditionally followed the Gombeys since they were children, from Somerset to St. George's looking forward to 24th of May and Boxing Day, which is usually the times you would see them parade.

Visitors would be fascinated and sometimes afraid of these brightly coloured strange beings that would dance vigorously in the street and draw big crowds.

But many of us do not know the symbolization of the whole Gombey performance.

This film takes you back to the origin of the Gombeys, why they were formed and the symbolization of the dance.

We also learn the meaning of the costumes, the ranks of the dancers, the weapons used and the unity behind the movement.

It is a powerful piece depicting the slaves and how they used this one day to communicate to each other though dance and rebel against the slave masters for the injustice.

As a Bermudian, I always loved the Gombeys and often followed them around the island stopping and various strangers' houses and watching them perform where snacks and beverages would be rewarded to the dancers for a job well done.

In all the years of following the Gombeys, I never dreamed that the symbolization of the Gombeys was would have been so dear to my roots as I found out viewing this film.

In this film we grow with the Gombeys, from the inception, and see how they have evolved in their dress, their dance and how they are respected.

In a country that seems as though the culture is dying out or not as rich as other Caribbean islands, in a land were the natives spend a lifetime trying to find themselves, wanting to adapt to someone else's culture, the tradition of the Gombey brings back that pride and makes you proud to be a Bermudian because the Unique Bermuda Gombey tradition is one that is like no other.

This documentary is an excellent choice that will keep you entertained and informed in one sitting.

** Behind the Mask: Bermuda's Gombeys will be screened again today at 9.15 pm at BUEI auditorium.