Dear Editor,
Like Bahamians, the people of Trinidad & Tobago (Trinis) love to party. They look for reasons to have a party or fete.
"Carnival" is just one of a large number of festivals in the country. Among the most prominent of the festivals are: the Tobago Heritage Festival, when all Tobago traditions are enacted and celebrated; the Tobago Jazz Festival; and the Borough Day Celebrations, celebrated in the Boroughs of Arima, Chaguanas and Point Fortin in the oil belt.
There are all types of festivities and entertainment, including parades and traditional music: Emancipation Day, a celebration of African Heritage; Independence and Republic Day when there are parades and fetes all over the islands; the Hindu Festival of Nights, celebrating the arrival of the Hindus Goddess of Night; Indian Arrival Day; Phagwa, a Hinds festival; Eid el Fata, a Muslim holiday at the end of the month of Ramadan; and Shouter Baptist Day, celebrating the freedom of Shouter (Jumper) Baptists to preach in public (under the British, the religion was outlawed and celebrants were arrested); and Hosay, an Indian Festival recognizing the martyrdom of the two grandsons of Mohamed.
Carnival is the most popular of all the festivals. The economic rewards are great for the thousands of persons involved. To Trinidad, carnival is a season which begins just after Christmas when the parang (rake and scrape) bands conclude their celebrations. The parang bands use instruments such as the tub base, guitar, quatro and instruments similar to those used in the Bahamas.
The difference is that the singers sing in Spanish and Creole. This is ancient Trini entertainment. The carnival season begins after Christmas and ends at midnight Tuesday, the night before the start of the Lenten Season on Ash Wednesday.
The weeks of entertainment all over the country include the steel band competitions for a $1 million prize on the final night called Panorama. The calypso tents begin to open. It is where the bands sing their new songs (must be new) nightly. There are several tents where patrons attend the concert style presentations. There are village dance competitions, band launchings and the sale of costumes, all-inclusive fetes and other forms of entertainment promoted by clubs and private enterprises. It is a period when locals, visitors and returning Trinis are exposed to various forms of entertainment and culture which includes African, Indian, Chinese and Caribbean.
All persons from anywhere can participate in the carnival - musicians, costume designers, dancers, calypso and soca artists from anywhere in the world are allowed to participate.
The competitions for these massive cash prizes are open to everyone except for the Calypso Monarch competition, which is restricted to the Trinis. The economic benefits are massive. The song writers, arrangers, musicians, costume designers and producers (the tailors and seamstresses and the wire-benders), the vendors, the DJs, the trucks and the National Carnival Commission and its allied organizations benefit financially.
Carnival has become big business and corporations and companies have gotten on board.
The bands in Trinidad are large, ranging from 1,000 members and above. This year one of the large popular bands known as "The Tribe" had an estimated ten thousand paraders. The costumes cost an average of US$500. The music is provided mostly by trucks with DJs, but there are also musicians playing on trucks. The cost of the costumes covers refreshments, security, music and portable toilets.
A friend who was a vendor told me that on the first day of the parade he sold $30,000 in beers and water.
The route covers about 10 miles, all of which must be covered to gain the necessary prize winning points for the competition. Bands are not restricted to routes.
The National Carnival Commission is a government organization that operates year round. There is a budget which provides for prizes, security and safety at events, advertising and the preparation and maintenance of various venues where the events occur.
Private promoters have to pay for use of such venues and for the cost of security. The commission promotes Trini carnival overseas and assists other countries with booking of performers and costume exports. For Example: Barbados has asked that all the winners at the Trini carnival participate in their "Crop Over" this year. Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin, Destra; Blax; Patrice Roberts and Iwer George are just a few performers who appear at carnivals around the world.
Carnival in Nassau could become a popular festival in the near future. We are close to the USA and Canada, from where many persons travel to carnivals around the world, in particular those at which the West Indian and Caribbean cultures are exposed.
Junkanoo could become one of those cultures and should be exposed at the various carnivals. A Junkanoo band at Trini carnival, the legend Ronie Butler would be accepted in any one of the Calypso tents with his witty and humorous lyrics. Visage has already made their mark there.
Government spending should be limited to providing the venues for events, advertising security and a few other needs. Promoters and the entrepreneurs involved in all productions must finance or find their own sponsors.
In T&T contributions are only made to the children's carnival. Band leaders have to finance their productions. Vendors pay a small fee for licences and do not receive any refunds.
For carnival to succeed we have to get more persons involved in the parades. Our first attempt was good, in particular the entertainment provided.
I enjoyed the carnival and look forward to it continuing but every effort must be made to have the expenditure taken on by promoters and sponsors. We must try to minimize government expenditure for this event.
I have attended Trini carnival each year since 1969.
- Paul Thompson
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