Cultural Pursuits

Picture Perfect Carnival

This is along the lines of what I was saying in my post from the 22February, 2012.

 Of course he has been photographing Carnival longer than I have been analyzing it.

Here’s one of my Carnival musings:

 Yuh ever chip with a steel band on Carnival Monday? specifically Trinidad All Stars?It is an experience, you do not have to stay for the entire day. Try it  just once, try it.

Hear nah, they present a 16 section band almost every year on Carnival Monday, sometimes they win band of the day-Monday, Best Costumed steelband and any  other category that they fit into.

 This year their theme was Let’s Dance, various costumes inspired by the various types of dances found here at some point in time, all complete with appropriate headwear- namely hats which not only  looks chic but  provides some shade in the blazing  sun. These same outfits can be used for the rest of the year- Anya  is not the first to incorporate fashion into mas; steelbands have been doing this for years. The most  important component, is the full bodied sound of the accompanying music (less than half the band).

Now, here the masqueraders are disciplined, they chip along and enjoy them selves with abandon without disturbing other people’s personal space and they definitely  don’t  look like they will fall off the edge of that stage…(something I am fearful of when I see the mega large bands and the shenanigans those masqueraders carry on  with). In addition to that  there is no need  to hog the stage or in fact prevent the free flowing movement of the sections by posing for every single camera in sight. In fact this band is just as huge as the popular large bands but they do not take as long to cross the stage.

Do not mistake what I am trying to say, there is noting  wrong  in posing so that someone can  document  your presence/participation on the stage, in the band of  your choice, wearing what you prefer, preserving that carefree image of you for who knows how long.

But I ask, how come it is those very same camera people (both still and video) who eagerly cross the stage back and forth, for two days, looking for pretty masqueraders enjoying their vulgarity, do not rush to snap these masqueraders in the steelpan band? In fact they get impatient for them to finish their presentation, this is where they take their little breaks, some may snap one or two photos but that’s  just to say they did, there is no real eye for the subject. As a result this type of participation is recorded  by only the adjudicators, some spectators and of course those participating.

I understand people may not want to see these bands on the road but think about it, the best thing about our Carnival is that it is participatory in nature. Having the free choice not only to be part of it but also the ability to choose which dimension/ faction you wish to  be part of. That is one of the treasured things we have in this world. Not preserving or in fact wishing any component gone, is in fact denying others, their choice of expression. This contributes greatly to what will be the demise of what we call the greatest show on earth. We need to be attentive to the imagery transmitted to the rest of the world but more importantly the images we perpetuate among ourselves. People tend to forget WE make the festival;just as “all ah we is one”.

When there is no regard for the sound of the pans on the road being drowned by the  speakers of the various DJs, when the songs of the Minstrels, the speeches of the Midnight Robbers and Indians are relegated to one night and drowned by those very same speaker boxes we wined on enthusiastically a while ago, when any component stops being photographed even if only for the sake of recording its presence then we have lost ourselves, in fact we would have allowed a part of us to  die.

I make any sense?

Some of the other things I saw for Carnival 2012.

All photos by Jaime Bagoo

shots from  my meanderings Carnival weekend, part 2.

unfortunately   had to work the rest of Mon and on  Tuesday so I  did not get a chance to dreevay about the place. I do hope you had an enjoyable carnival!

look our  for my  reflections on the season!

All photos by Jaime Bagoo

Some  shots from my meanderings for the carnival weekend, part 1.

All photos by Jaime Bagoo