This Carnival Had A Different Kind Of Energy — Trinidad Carnival 2019 Review
Trinidad Carnival 2019: MasQuerader perspective on the road with BLISS Carnival
BLISS Carnival 2019 (Credit: Allan Crane of Caribbean Action Images)
Carnival is an annual cultural festival that means so much to the West Indian diaspora. Trinidad Carnival in particular is one that means so much to the Trinidadian diaspora — it is rooted in our history.
Carnival has nothing to do with “Girls putting on costumes to be hoes” as Joe Budden recently stated in a podcast when discussing individuals attending Carnival. His comment, regardless of context, speaks volumes to the perspective by many of those who are not of West Indian decent have as they remain uneducated on the history of Carnival.
A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
During slavery in Trinidad, there was a major event before Lent called Carnival — one of the most festive times on the plantation. The Carnival is a costumed street festival and the African drums provided musical accompaniment for the festival’s participants.
The Carnival celebration which existed before emancipation was a celebration by the elite that was then mimicked by the free Africans. They took to the streets because they did not have fancy homes and establishments to celebrate in. The elites looked down on their celebrations as a “Jamette Carnival” which is french for “below the line of acceptable behavior”. This carnival was self expression, it was a rejection of the norms that were set and practiced by elites. What we know now as contemporary “J’ouvert” which means “day opened” is an expression of freedom with no boundaries for things such as gender and class. It depicted mainly the lives they were living as a result of this economic and social stratification. In 1880, the head of the police force, Officer Baker squashed the Canboulay and the people did not expect their event to be ended so abruptly.
What is important to note when on this topic, is the social and economic situations that led to the Canboulay riots of 1881. There were never any major revolts such as the Canboulay riots in Trinidad prior to this. The Canboulay Riots of 1881 was a war between the Africans and the police, as they attempted to prevent slaves from participating in the Carnival. The people defeated the police in that clash and the secured the right of the masses to participate in the Carnival. If you ever get a chance, you should attend the re-enactment of The Canboulay riots, it is an experience you will never forget. This re-enactment was revived in 2000 by Cupid, Hall, and Fullerton has grown and is growing strong. It provides an Afrocentric perspective of this historical event that lead to our modern day Carnival event.
Re-enactment of The 1881 Canboulay Riots (Credit: Leslie-Ann C.R. Toney of Studio La Foncette)
The Canboulay riots spurred partly by the crisis in sugar which the economy depended on. This riot reflects the African strife as it pertains to life on plantations. At the time Africans gained their freedom, there was a shortage of labor, and they used that independence as a catalyst for improving quality of life. Plantation owners had a crisis as a result, and decided to look to import labor (East Indians, Chinese etc.), and so cheaper labor further undermined the hard work and efforts of raise of wage by the Africans. In fact, The traditional Carnival character Jab Molassie used Molasses (a product of sugar cane), and spread it on their body as opposed to contributing to an economy in which they benefitted from the least. The demographics of the country at the time had a higher percentage of enslaved compared to free and of the distribution of land that was open only to those who owned enslaved peoples. Racial tensions occur due to this wage demand the Africans had.
Attempting to suppress African participation in the Carnival activites led to passing of legislation, The Peace Preservation Ordinance of 1884. This law banned tourch processions, drumming, dancing and the assemblies of ten or more persons with sticks. They wanted to silence the people, so when you see a riddim section, respect the melodious noise, as it wasn’t given, it was fought for.
*Cues* Giants — Ultimate Rejects
Long Live We Carnival!
ON THE ROAD WITH BLISS CARNIVAL 2019
BLISS Carnival 2019 (Credit: Allan Crane of Caribbean Action Images)
“It’s Carnival in T-N-T it’s so special to all ah we…” -Destra Garcia
Trinidad carnival 2019 was special to say the least.
For 2019, BLISS brought us another year of Chic Carnival, Sheer Bacchanal with their 2019 MUSE collection — Runway to Road.
“Muse is an ode to Fashion and the Muses that influence Art and Design. Inspired by looks from international fashion houses and luxury designers, our haute couture costumes will rock the streets of Port of Spain like a runway.” — BLISS Carnival
It is quite clear from the collection put out for 2019 and the previous years, that BLISS maintains a quality look and ensures that the band overall reflects just that. If you are choosing to play with BLISS, keep in mind that as a masquerader you are to free up and get into character, but keep in mind the values and persona the band represents.
COSTUME PICKUP:
Albeit a difficult task, the costume pickup was fairly organized as advertised, the band allowed for Masqueraders to pick up their costume on a designated day during the based on their section — an ideal process. However, I arrived the day after my section was distributed hoping that it would be a quick pickup — I paid in full. So I arrived by 3:30pm only to be told to wait until the distribution time of that day which was at 5pm. Keep in mind I had plans for that evening. Sitting amongst individuals who were receiving their costume on their designated day, and being swooned by complimentary drinks was not in the plans. I patiently waited and received my costume 6ish. No scene.
(Personal Image)
The packaging for the costume came in this classy box. Upon opening the box I was impressed with the design and quality of the male pieces. The BLISS shorts were amazing, they came with two pockets, the pocket on the right was secured by a velcro and the left was secured by a zipper. Male Masqueraders know how crucial secure pockets are for the road, so these pockets made things simpler. I played in the XO Punchy Punch section designed by Ruana Evans. The costume pieces were all in the box, no missing or low quality pieces. (I mention this because I know of and observed individuals that played Mas and had costume pieces missing or falling apart— a crime)
However, along with the costume, we received this dope gray BLISS duffle bag that contained our wristband, cup, goodies, a hydration back pack, and a detailed and easily readable pamphlet that provided all the relevant information needed for Monday Tuesday on the road. The pamphlet also mentioned that we could not wear Monday wear shorts and had to wear the BLISS shorts. I found this to be a surprise and quite an inconvenience being that I purchased shorts to wear specifically for Monday. I wore the BLISS shorts anyhow, only to see people wearing custom shorts on Monday. If you include a rule like that, you should attempt to enforce it.
Otherwise, I found the informational pamphlet to be an essential addition to the Masquerading experience. It included information about the transport buses provided by the band that would assist late Masqueraders on Monday and Tuesday in catching up with the band on the road. Although I did not have to utilize the service, I found it to be clutch and to contribute to the experience greatly — no masquerader left behind.
Lastly, the pamphlet provided a detailed route map with a socadrome invitation for family members and friends to spectate and watch us Masqueraders cross the stage. This last one in particular meant a lot to me because my mother was spectating this year and walking along the streets of Port of Spain to follow our band was not ideal for her. This socadrome experience provided and created unique and memorable moment for us.
ON THE ROAD WITH BLISS CARNIVAL 2019
On the road Monday and Tuesday with BLISS was a time to remember. I personally missed Carnival Monday in 2018 as I was exhausted after Jouvert. This year I was still exhausted, but thanks to the detailed map of the route and rest stop, I was able to meet the band for lunch (which was excellent), we were met with tents, WiFi, blankets, snow cones, make up/sunscreen stations. The perfect moment to gather yourself to pump for the rest of the day.
During lunch I had the opportunity to briefly meet the talented DJ Private Ryan — one of the DJ’s for our band. In fact, the DJ lineup for our band included a range of talented disc jockeys and so the music selection, as expected, was superb. Music and Mas go hand in hand, so this to me is a critical part of the masquerading experience.
(Big up to all DJs who blessed the four trucks on the road: 4-Play, Rated Ram, Dr. Dominic & Marcus Williams, Smallz & Cardo, DJ Chris, Nuphoric, Patrick Anthony, Private Ryan, DJ Hazzard, Riggo Suave, Lurbz & Aswaad, Romie Rome & Johnny Quest, Ryan Sayeed & Barrie Hype and Jus-Jay.)
(Personal Image)
CARNIVAL TUESDAY
Tuesday on the road was an action packed. From the start of the day there was an indescribable energy in the air. As we began to slowly chip down the streets of Port of Spain you could feel the energy build. Everyone looked amazing in their costumes and each section really had their own style and quality.
The BLISS Carnival vision of turning the streets of Port of Spain into a runway was a reality. Drink trucks were easily accessible and servers were attentive to the requests of Masqueraders. There were alcohol infused snow cones and bubbly champagne served to masqueraders. There were even air conditioned bathrooms to the rear of the trucks, and trust me it is a notable addition to the MasQuerader experience. These were some quality air conditioned bathrooms — ideal for a moment to gather yourself and get back to the pump. Security was on point as far as I could see, and so there were little to no stormers — the most notable stormer was Police Commissioner Gary Griffith who made his was through our band at some point.
VIBES
As it relates to overall vibes, coming from a millennial masquerader who played with the unapologetically energetic Yuma Vibe in 2018, BLISS had a 8/10 vibes on the road, and I expect a 10/10 from every band on the road for Trinidad Carnival. In my opinion, the reason the vibes were 8/10, is mainly due to a lack of slackness and unapologetic energy. No need to play “Get in Your Section” for the Masqueraders in this band, they were quite ready. Things were in order, and most of the time Masqueraders maintained a level of maturity with occasional moments of pure “sheer bacchanal” as we made our way through Port of Spain.
The band truly made Port of Spain it’s runway — we ultimately mashed up the stage as if it was time to strike a pose. It was the moments leading up to the crossing of the stage, where I felt the energy of this band begin to release. The crossing of the stage with BLISS was a 10/10 moment.
The band overall was composed of many individuals of all ages, with a number of couples and family/friend groups — this created an environment where asking for permission to wine was a key factor in achieving successful wine. All in all this is a great band for individuals who want to masquerade with order and maintain respectable and reasonable space between themselves and individuals they may not have known prior to. I personally… *cues Stranger — Farmer Nappy*. Otherwise, due to the amazingly consistent music selection, people were constantly chipping and wining up and down the road at their own pace and convenience.
Tuesday was concluded of course by “Last Lap”, a meeting of sister bands LOST TRIBE X TRIBE X BLISS X HARTS X PURE X ROGUE in Nelson Mandela Park. This was a first time experience for me and it was a 10/10 vibe. For some reason the energy of these three bands, food, music, and the meeting of friends/family who played in different bands remains unmatched. It was a great way to release the last bit of energy you had for the day.
“This Carnival have a different kind of energy, the music getting louder…” -Machel Montano
BLISS CARNIVAL “XO” (Personal Image)
Played Mas in Trinidad for Carnival?
Tell me about your experience.
For all inquiries and requests please contact me via email: Caruththetruth@gmail.com
Twitter: @qneverwho
Instagram: @qneverwho
Please like, share on social media, and comment with your feedback
