AFTER MAS

I must say this does look like a good short film to see. 'AFTER MAS' by Karen Martinez  will be screened at the Little Carib Theatre on the 22 and 24th of September 2013 at 3pm.
For more info see the website: http://ripostepictures.co.uk/After_Mas/ or the Trinidad and Tobago FILM company.

AFTER MAS trailer from Riposte Pictures on Vimeo.
AFTER MAS is a new short film from Trinidadian filmmaker Karen Martinez. It tells the story of a love that flourishes under the cover of darkness during the festival of J'ouvert on the streets of Port-of-Spain. Shot in Trinidad during Carnival itself, we experience the charge of this bacchanalian drama before following the characters return to their separate lives. In the cold light of day, can these young lovers from very different backgrounds stay true to their desires?

Related articles

• Author Tells of Trinidad's Beauty And Grit
• Kore Band takes Culturama Road March Title
• Miami Broward Carnival 2013
• Happy Labor Day Brooklyn
• Notting Hill's Carnival Roots

Historian praises Guardian role in shaping Carnival

Author and historian Michael Anthony says the publishing of his most recent book would not have been possible without the T&T Guardian. At a NGC Bocas Lit Fest short talk on the evolution of Carnival yesterday, Anthony discussed the T&T Guardian’s role in bringing Carnival to the Queen’s Park Savannah in 1919. “If that hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have written this book,” he said.

The 1919 Victory Carnival, a chapter in his book, Carnivals of Trinidad and Tobago from Inception to Year 2000 (Macmillan 2011), was the first year Carnival celebrations and competitions were taken to the venue where Carnival’s most definitive stage is now housed.

Author and historian Michael Anthony autographs his book
 after making a presentation on the evolution of Carnival
 at the Old Fire Station in Port-of-Spain,
 during the 2012 NGC Bocas Lit Fest yesterday.
 PHOTO: SHIRLEY BAHADUR

As Anthony pointed out, in 1919 the Trinidad Guardian—at the time a broadsheet—sponsored Carnival celebrations at the Queen’s Park Savannah to commemorate the end of World War I.  He said that the participants were mainly upper-class and news reports from this era wrote solely from that viewpoint.

The T&T Guardian continued to sponsor Carnivals at the Savannah and when the transition from private to state-sponsored Carnivals occurred, the gates were opened to the public.   Although the Queen’s Park Savannah has evolved into a home for the festival, the mas performed there has waned he said.  Anthony expressed disappointment with Carnival’s commercial shift, saying the glorious period of Carnival, which he places in the 1930s, is gone.

“My feeling is that it has definitely declined and lost its meaningfulness. The best part of Carnival that remains in its natural form is the J’Ouvert.” When Carnival became a business, it lost the traditions of art and theatre, he observed. The discussion yesterday, chaired by radio journalist Sterling Henderson, opened with a reading on the Carnival of 1962, the Carnival of the Independence year. Anthony described the vicious battle for the calypso crown between The Mighty Sparrow and Mighty Dougla and the placards at J’Ouvert that read “Lord Hailes seeing his last Carnival.”

SOURCE

Zahra Gordon

Related articles

• Carnival 2012: Latin America Bids 'Farewell to the Flesh' [SLIDESHOW] (ibtimes.com)
• Lady Africa is the 2012 Extempo Monarch (repeatingislands.com)
• Stickfighting king crowned: 'felt my dead father's spirit' (masrepublic.blogspot.com)
• Trinidad carnival - the Caribbean's biggest party (repeatingislands.com)

National Carnival Commission (NCC) chairman Kenny de Silva said yesterday any band found breaking the Parade of the Bands route on Carnival Monday and Tuesday will have to pay a stiff penalty.

Image via WikipediaHe said the route remains the same as last year where Mas bands enter the Queen’s Park Savannah via Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain adding the bands can only proceed to Charlotte Street from Park or Piccadilly Streets, and if they break that route they would be penalised.

He did not say what would be the penalties.

Mindful of reports that a number of bands broke the route by going on Frederick Street and entering Charlotte Street from Oxford and Gordon Streets, he stressed, “We hope they let good sense prevail and adhere to the parade route in the best interest of the festival.”

NCC is also reverting to a plan where they will send clusters of small, medium and large bands to start their procession at each competition venue simultaneously, thus allowing for the free flow of bands as had been done several years ago and worked in the past.

With respect to the children’s Parade of the Bands on Carnival Saturday, the NCC will make an application to the police to have the young masqueraders proceed up Frederick Street to enter the Savannah for the competition. De Silva said, “That way, the parade will end in good time for Panorama Finals to start on time.”


SOURCE

Related articles

• The Trini Update! - Port of Spain and Environs!!!, Trinidad and Tobago (travelpod.com)

People’s Band for 2011

Savannah tour: Arts and Multiculturalism Minister, Winston Peters, left,
chats with chairman of the National Carnival Commission (NCC) Kenny De Silva, right,
 during a tour of the Queen's Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, yesterday
. An unidentified NCC official is at centre.
Author: Sean Archie

Arts and Multiculturalism Minister Winston “Gypsy” Peters is encouraging citizens to wear a costume and play mas with the People’s Band which will be free to the public on Carnival Monday and Tuesday in 2011.
Masqueraders will also get to jump across a big stage once more at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain and there will be the return of the North and Grand Stands.
Peters made these announcements to reporters yesterday after touring the area in the Savannah where the Grand and North Stands were once located but removed by the previous government to make way for the National Carnival Centre. The parade of the bands has taken the form of a street parade since 2007.
He said the People’s Band was one of the measures to be used to deal with congestion caused by bands seeking to cross the big stage in the Savannah during the Parade of the Bands on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.
He urged persons to either don their old costumes or create new ones to take part in the People’s Band. “I not only hope to see a return of dragon mas but a return of the antique costumes people have all over, under their bed or in their attics. I hope they take them and dust them off so their children can put them on and jump in the band and for once I want to see people be creative. Let them take the opportunity to create costumes because they have no restrictions, all you have to do is to make a costume and you are in the band,” Peters said.
He said he was unconcerned with the impact of this band on the sales of other mas makers. “The mas makers in this country are bringing mas from India and China. So what if the people in Trinidad and Tobago make mas and jump in a band? Those mas makers have to think about if they are not taking away jobs from locals and suppressing the creativity of the people of Trinidad and Tobago when they bring mas from these places ,” he said.
This initiative, he said, will give the ordinary man a chance to participate in Carnival either by creating costumes for himself or his family and close friends or by parading in the free band if he cannot afford the high price of a costume from an established band.
“The big bands are there for the people who want to do it but the Government, through this ministry, is putting something in place so people can just come and play mas and enjoy themselves. Make a costume and come or put on an old one but not one of those made in India and China, a costume from Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.
He said while there may be teething problems experienced because of the return of Carnival to the Savannah, Government will learn from the venture and improve on the Carnival product in years to come. Peters could not give a figure which will be spent to remove the existing stand and reconstruct the Grand and North stands in time for the Parade of Bands on March 7 and 8 next year.
“With a little bit of creativity, we hope we do not have to go too far with expenses. Whatever it takes for us to be here (in the Savannah), we will be here,” he said.
He said while he would not be able to compete as calypsonian Gypsy in the upcoming Carnival season because of his post as minister, he will perform during the season. Peters won the 2010 Extempo Monarch crown during the last Carnival in February.
SOURCE

Related articles

• Last entry Trinidad! - Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (travelpod.com)
• Christmas on Trinidad - Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (travelpod.com)
• leaving tobago - Crown point, Trinidad and Tobago (travelpod.com)

Taking T&T culture global

Brian Mac Farlane is sandwiched between a Pierrot and an exotic Blue Devil
 at the mas camp at Rosalino Street, Woodbrook. Photos: Shirley Bahadur

The Blue Devil and the Pierrot rank high among the slew of traditional mas characters contemporary T&T has created out of its colonial experience. Brian Mac Farlane, the recipient of the Chaconia Medal (gold) for Culture at the 2010 Independence awards at Queen’s Hall, Port-of-Spain, will be showcasing these two indigenous expressions of Carnival culture in India. On Tuesday, Mac Farlane and his assistant Maurice Chevalier were presented with their tickets by Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra. The duo will be heading to India, to conduct a Commonwealth Textile Exhibition: Cloths Power. On Thursday, at his Mas Camp, at Rosalino Street, Woodbrook, Mac Farlane presented the Blue Devil and Pierrot. Referring to it as an exotic Blue Devil, he said, “It would form part of the permanent display in India. Mac Farlane boasted, “It’s not the ordinary Devil. It is made of cotton and lycra. It is a full body suit.

“There is a lot of air brushing and patterns. It is two dimensional. “It has an East Indian appeal. I made use of the mirrors and the jewelled stones that Indians like to see in their fashion. It is elaborate.” True to form, masquerader Keston Benthum waved his menacing fork. Spurred on by his assistant who will also be visiting India, Pierrot appeared. Clad in voluminous fabrics, Pierrot, played by Celia Paul, cut an overdressed, yet sensual figure. Chevalier said: “It has a lot of costume, like the people during slavery, the people in the Caribbean started to parody their European masters. There are masks on the face.”  

  “Ready to showcase T&T fashion”

LEFT: Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra, left,
presents Brian Mac Farlane, with his tickets for his visit to India
 at a press conference
at the Indian High Commission, Victoria Street, Port-of-Spain.

Mac Farlane said he was humbled by his maiden visit to India. In 2007, he portrayed Boyie: The Story of India. When he gets to Delhi, Mac Farlane, assisted by Maurice Chevalier, will be conducting workshops on Carnival. Mac Farlane is expected to visit textile factories and the National Institute of Fashion. “These are A grade students that are studying fashion. I will talk about Claudia Pegus, and Meiling and what we have in the Caribbean world. “Some of the finest cotton fabrics come out of India. In the Caribbean, we wear a lot of the cotton fabrics. There is a high base of East Indians here. There is a nice link. How the fabrics are treated becomes a nice base for the exchange of students.

A release said: “In view of T&T government’s plan to promote the fashion industry and also in light of MOU signed between UTT and NIFT in May 2009, Mac Farlane will hold discussions with NIFT authorities to boost bilateral cooperation in the field of fashion designing. “He will also interact with students of NIFT and brief them about masmaking and costume design.” Mac Farlane advised his potential masqueraders that upon his return from India, he will be launching his 2011 presentation at Mobs 11, Chaguaramas. It will be entitled Humanity: Circle of Life in basic black and white.

Michelle Loubon

Related articles by Zemanta

• Seth MacFarlane doesn't get it (pinkbananaworld.com)
• The Roast Of David Hasselhoff (VIDEO): Pam Anderson, Seth MacFarlane & More Ridicule The Hoff's Sex Life, Career (huffingtonpost.com)

Mac Farlane ‘resurrects’

Large Band of the Year winner for 2009 Brian Mac Farlane’s Resurrection: The Mas was a smash hit with spectators in Port-of-Spain as many expressed pride to see the return of “long time mas.”

Glenn Jacob, 36, from Texas has been a fan of this country’s Carnival for many years. However, he said as much as he loved to see “women on the roads palancing. Nothing beats the classics.”

Jacob’s sentiments were echoed by others as Mac Farlane’s band of fancy gold clowns, blue devils, stylised pierrot grenade, fancy sailors, dame lorraines and burrokeets paraded past the Adam Smith Square venue. There were no bikinis or beads in this band, with masqueraders parading fully-clothed, except for the devils, in intricately decorated costumes of cloth, masks and elaborate hats.

Mac Farlane also shied away from the kaleidoscope of opting for more subtle tones of gold, white and brown cotton with hints of bright shades for fancy sailors and hats for the dame lorraines.

However, it was a long day for the members of the band as up to 8 pm, Mac Farlane, who made it to South Quay after lunch, had not crossed the judging point at Queen’s Park Savannah, encountering a bottleneck of small and medium bands on the way to the venue.

NEWSDAY

Related articles by Zemanta

• Carnival Tuesday 2010: Costume Parade (dominica-weekly.com)
• Haitians cancel Carnival celebration (cnn.com)
• Heat wilts Rio's Carnival street parties (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Video: 2010 Venice Carnival (shoppingblog.com)

Allen too bright for rivals

“The ball has been passed.” That was reigning monarch Kurt Allen’s response to his victory at the Dimanche Gras competition at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, on Sunday night. Singing in position number 15, Allen sang Too Bright and won the judges’ nod, becoming Calypso Monarch 2010 and earning $500,000. Allen’s gallant effort with a song he wrote defeated veteran bard Dr Hollis Liverpool, who was making a bid for his eighth title with When Mas Is Mas. “The ball has been passed. Cro Cro called me just before I went on stage and said, ‘Pass pass the ball.’ The ball has been passed,” said Allen. He is a member of the Icons Tent, managed by Weston Rawlins, fondly known as Cro Cro.

“After I won, he called me and congratulated me. He said, ‘The ball has indeed been passed’,” added Allen. Sharing in his victory were his wife Fabienne and his daughter Choc'lat, 16. Allen said Cro Cro’s words of encouragement “meant a lot.” “My style has been tailored to Cro Cro’s, Stalin’s and Chalkdust’s. When he called and challenged me to pass the ball, that gave me an extra boost to go on that stage. He told me what to do and how to prepare myself,” said Allen, who is in his 30s. The picong and compliments about passing the ball stemmed from his bid for Dimanche Gras honours in 1997. “When I sang Pass The Ball, I invited David Rudder, the late Pretender, Mighty Striker (first official recognised Calypso Monarch) to come on stage,” he said. The gist of the song was it was time for the elders of the art form to give the younger ones a chance to express themselves and excel. He also registered his respect for the contribution these gentlemen made to the art form.  

Allen placed eighth that year. But he quickly beat a retreat to the soca dens to sing with Roy Cape. But the call of social/political commentary beckoned. It came home to roost in 2010. “I had to write about the stupid decisions that leaders make as opposed to what people would like to see. There is a perception the leaders don’t like to listen to the people. I wanted to give the small man a voice,” he said. Allen describes his song as not being anti-government or anti-PNM. The song boasts a marriage of good-natured satire and irony. “Too Bright. It is just about looking at leaders who are supposed to be intelligent and examining the dumb things they do. Too Bright (like Palance) is also dialect. It is a cliche. People know the saying ‘Too Bright’,” said Allen. 

University of Woodford Square
In his theatrical presentation, Allen depicted the University of Woodford Square with a backdrop of the Red House—the seat of the government and the opposition. The late Dr Eric Williams had declared it a ‘university’ since citizens met there to discuss current issues and even scribble their views on a chalkboard. “We were depicting Woodford Square. A lot of people have the perception that it is only mad people and vagrants there. But I wanted to get across the idea that normal people also frequent there. It is up to the Parliament to listen to the voice of the people,” said Allen. On a normal day, Jehovah Witnesses ply their magazines.

Sitting on a bench, violinist Stanley Roach had relocated from the major transit hub at City Gate. Armed with protein giants, the nuts man put in an appearance. Hand in a sling, even Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Jack Warner evoked laughter from the crowd. While Allen’s graduation garb cost a fortune, his costuming on Dimanche Gras cost a mere $25. “I made use of old stuff. I cut an old T-shirt and pants I had. Stuff I used to sleep. It cost about $25,” said Allen. The set was built by Rajesh Ramlal and the artistic director was Wendell Etienne. Kurtis Gross played Prime Minister Patrick Manning. Allen was not afraid to give him a clout and send him to Woodford Square to hear—and heed the voice of the people.

SOURCE

MICHELLE LOUBON
READ ALSO KING KURT

Smith’s last hoorah: ..ends 54 years of blood, sweat and tears in mas

Frank Smith takes his last walk on Queen’s Park Savannah stage at the preliminaries of the King of Carnival competition on February 4. Photo: Angelo Marcelle


In front of a cheering crowd, an emotional 81-year-old Frank Smith made his last appearance on the stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah, bringing an end to 54 years of “blood, sweat and tears in mas making.” Portraying Zambo The Witch Doctor, an African history creation, Smith went out in a blaze of glory at the preliminaries of the 2010 King of Carnival as patrons clapped, whistled and cheered when they found out he was the oldest participant in the February 4 competition. But little did the crowd know that this was Smith’s last walk on stage. Smith said that he had mixed emotions while bidding the crowd farewell. “I felt happy knowing that I had made a significant contribution to the arts and culture, while a sense of sadness gripped my body realising that this was my last hoorah at the Savannah.” Having competed in the King of Carnival contest since 1956, Smith was knocked out in the preliminary round of this year’s competition.

It was just days before the preliminaries while putting the final pieces on his king at his Dyette Estate, Cunupia home, Smith decided to throw in the towel. Smith’s wife Joanne, who lives in New York, was told the news by telephone. Smith said “old age and his creaking bones” have forced him to call it a day. Though he hobbles to get from one place to the next, Smith looks much younger than his actual age. He has vowed not to give up parading along the streets of Port-of-Spain on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Well-known for his wire bending skills, Smith started playing mas at age five. In 1956, he produced his first small band The Coronation of Haile Selassie which was published in Michael Anthony’s book The History of Trinidad and Tobago.

Not against panty and bra
The band was later renamed Bacchanalias by his children who play an integral role in producing a variety of costumes. Smith took credit for being the first band leader to hire deejay Fatman George in Tunapuna for his masqueraders to enjoy themselves. With the support of his children, Smith was encouraged to participate in the King of Carnival competition in 1956. “It seemed as though I was bitten by the King of Carnival bug because year-after- year I would show up at the Savannah just for people to see my work,” said Smith. Since then, Smith, who many describe as a legend, has entered every competition. Even though he has never won a King of Carnival title, Smith said it was the people’s love and appreciation that kept him going.

RIGHT: Skilled wire bender Frank Smith promises to parade on the streets of Port-of-Spain on Carnival Monday and Tuesday for his fans.Photo: Dilip Singh

Smith said he had no qualms about the bikini and bra costumes which have flooded Carnival over the years. “I am not against the panty and bra costumes. People have to remember we are living in a different era. Life is about change.” Having won three Small Band awards with the portrayals, Antarctica Sunlight, Redman Territory and Tribal America, Smith said he was handing over his legacy to his offspring. “This is the only way I can ensure that my legacy does not die.” He has passed on his wire bending skills to several students, among them Barataria RC School and Princes Town Junior Secondary School.

Trinidad Guardian.SHALIZA HASSANALI

Related articles by Zemanta

• Will a 7-year old be a Rio's samba queen? (hubdub.com)

EOE marks Olokun Festival today

Egbe Onisin Eledumare will stage the annual Orisha Olokun Festival in Manzanilla today. The Olokun Festival is the Orisha Festival of the Ocean, in which man’s indispensable link and connectivity to the force of the ocean is celebrated. Olokun is the deity of the deep ocean, marshes and wetlands, and is protector of the African diaspora.

As an island people, Olokun is especially important to us. Divination has chosen The Bell Piece in Manzanilla as the site of this year’s festival. As usual it will be hosted by Egbe Onisin Eledumare. Egbe Onisin Eledumare is an African spiritual organisation functional in Ile-Iere—the Republic T&T—since 1971. The organisation has consistently been one of the most progressive voices for Orisha and African traditions in T&T.

Over the years, it has pioneered in the campaigning for the passage of the Orisha Marriage Act; and in holding two major Orisha and African Traditions Conferences in T&T. The organisation again broke ground when it fielded the first Orisha Carnival band and placed the first Orisha Queen of Carnival contestant on the Savannah stage. This year’s Olokun Festival is open to the public. There will be return-trip maxi-taxi transport and refreshments provided. The cost will be $100.

The celebration will begin with prayers at Egbe Onisin Eledumare, Simeon Road, at 5 am and there will be a main pick up point at the western entrance of PTSC in Port-of-Spain, close to the lighthouse, between 6.30 and 7.15 am. 

MORE INFO

The colour code is white, but persons can wear colours representing their shrines or Orisha. Items of offering include: boiled corn; yam balls; boiled black eyes peas with corn; popcorn; and, dry coconut.

For bookings and further information, call:
Oludari Sangode 727-3712;
Oloye Orawale Oranfe 380-9382; or
Rubadiri 797-0949.

SOURCE

Related articles by Zemanta

• 11th Annual "Taste of Black History" Celebrates Leading Entrepreneurs | thehustletownchronicle.com (icemanbaldy.com)

Chalkdust has to battle newcomers

Newcomer to the National Calypso Monarch Selvon Noel, aka Mistah Shak, is one of 14 calypsonians heading to Port-of-Spain on Dimanche Gras night on Sunday for the finale of the competition. The 15 contenders draw for positions today. Noel, attached to Kaiso House tent in Port-of-Spain, received the most applause as he sang his hit tune Rogue, dressed in police fatigue at Skinner Park, San Fernando, at the annual Calypso Fiesta on Saturday. The song depicts how Noel protected and served with pride. Also winning a place at the the Dimanche Gras is Anne Marie Cudjoe-Parks (Twiggy), who sang Give Thanks.

While most of the calypsonians poked fun at the PNM Government, Twiggy differed as she gave a spirited performance encouraging the population to give thanks for being blessed. Anthony “All-Rounder” Hendrickson also made it to the finals with his tune Female Life Guard, along with the popular Brian London, who sang A Calypsonian. Carlos James, (Skatie), another crowd favourite with his tune A Cry for Life, also found a place. Devon Seales, Kizzy Ruiz, Kurt Allen, Michael (Protector) Leggerton and Nicole Greaves are also among the finalists.

Veteran distaff calypsonian Singing Sandra proved that she still commands attention with her deep-souled messages when she rendered No Child Shall be Left Behind. The tune also secured a spot for Singing Sandra at the Dimanche Gras. The tune portrayed a heart-rending account of the lives of sexually abused children. Also making it to the finals are Roderick (Chucky) Gordon, Sean Daniel and Winston Scarborough, the Original De Fosto Himself, whose contender is “In a Palace State of Mind.” All fourteen will be doing battle against reigning monarch Hollis Liverpool, aka The Mighty Chalkdust
RADHICA SOOKRAJ

Related articles by Zemanta

• Calypso Ramblings: "Doctor Finger" Banned and Twenty Battle in the Semis (dominica-weekly.com)

Denesha is Junior Queen of Carnival

DENESHA Jennings is the 2010 Junior Queen of Carnival. Jennings scored 365 points with her portrayal of “A Splash of Blue” from the band Blue (Tribute to Superblue) at the National Carnival Bands Association Junior Queen of Carnival 2010 finals at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, on Tuesday night.
Placing second was Jade Alleng with “Mother Goddess of Bakuba Warrior” while Zaria Pinder with “Fire Dancer.” was third.



1st A SPLASH OF BLUE DENESHA JENNINGS 365

2nd MOTHER GODDESS OF BAKUBA WARRIOR JADE ALLENG 364

3rd FIRE DANCER ZARIA PINDER 363

4th BLACK GOLD T&T TREASURE JENAES VILLAROEL 358

5th VISION OF EMPRESS MUMTAZ CYAN SYLVESTER 356

6th THE SWEET LIFE LESLEY ANN WILLOUGHBY 350

7th A CREATIVE RAINBOW LETIZIA GARCIA 341

SECOND: Jade Alleng was "Mother Goddess of Bakuba Warrior" in the Junior Queen of Carnival 2010 competition on Tuesday night at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain

Following are the full results

8th FREEDOM DANCE JANAE ALEXANDER 336

9th THE SPIRIT OF THE PAN NIKKITA KATWAROO 335

10th TIME IS RUNNING OUT KERRYANN SEALY 329

11th THE GAZAWOKO DANCER AMANDA MC CLEAN 328

12th THE BWITI CEREMONIAL DANCER OF GABON SHURLAND MATAS 317

13th MEDA ABBY-GAIL STEELING 312

14th THE SPIRIT OF PARADISE FAITH ARMOUR 310

15th JAMAICA’S PRIDE KEIANN LEWIS 309

16th FUTURISM OF PAN SHAUNA TAYLOR 292

Related articles by Zemanta

• Girl, 7, gets OK to be samba queen in Rio Carnival (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

The other side of TT Carnival

Image via Wikipedia

It has long been hailed as the greatest show on earth, an annual celebration of our creativity and uniqueness as Trinbagonians.

But beneath the bikinis and beads, pulsating soca and wild abandon, citizens are expressing mixed views about Carnival and its relevance to life in Trinidad and Tobago. 


This was the discovery of Los Angeles-based director and producer Charysse Tia Harper and her crew, who visited several towns and villages in the country to capture the key elements of Carnival and how it affected the socio- economic life of citizens. Based on her findings, Harper, 25, compiled a 48-minute documentary, titled The Other Side of Carnival. 


The footage was shown to an audience on Wednesday at the National Library in Port-of-Spain. 


Harper said the production, comprising interviews, glimpses into several elements of the festival and other aspects of life in Trinidad, was an eye-opener.


“I feel that we have 48 minutes of strong information,” Harper told Sunday Newsday in an interview on Wednesday, hours before the viewing. “We present a lot of issues. But, we do not go in depth and the main reason for doing that is because I wanted to appeal to an international audience as well because if I went in depth into every problem in Trinidad and Tobago, only Trinbagonians may care about that. 


“I wanted something to interest the locals as well as the international population. But, I think that the strongest thing that came out of the experience was that everyone has an opinion about Carnival.” 


Born in Trinidad ( her mother and father were from San Juan and New Grant, respectively), Harper migrated to the United States while she was very young. 


The only link she had to Carnival, she said, came by way of discussions and from watching footage from her family. 


With a burning passion to produce documentaries as a career, Harper studied film and journalism at the University of Southern California, before pursuing a master’s degree in management and leadership in the United Kingdom. 


She later established the fledgling Xplore the World production company to bring her dream into a reality. 


“My crew and I, it started with about three people. We started talking about documentaries we want to make in December 2007 and threw out ideas,” she recalled. 


Harper soon realised that the area in which she lived, Oxnard, a town an hour north of Los Angeles, somehow provided the perfect opportunity to explore the festival. 


“There are not many people from the West Indies there. So, whenever they see a black person and you tell them you are from Trinidad, they are like ‘Which part of Africa is that?’ 


“So, I decided to make a documentary that would highlight my culture but not make it like a history lesson. Carnival, I figured, would be the point to draw people in.” 


Harper’s team, she said, comprised first-time film makers from TT, the UK and US who were not affiliated to any studio but were determined to promote the project in any way possible. 


After several successful fundraising ventures, Harper and her small crew finally set foot on local shores on July 7, 2008, to do the ground work for the project. 


It was not until last year, however, that Harper finally got the chance to experience the event in all its glory. 


Her crew, she said, interviewed more than 60 people from all walks of life. 


But while some felt the festival was a good thing, others simply did not. 


“It’s such rubbish, you have people dancing with nothing on. It’s a time for people to go out and have sex. People are ridiculous,” a few respondents complained. 


Some, she said, even got carried away. 


“I remember we interviewed a police man about the crime rate during Carnival and he just went on a tangent about the good and bad sides of Carnival,” she jokingly recalled. 


The visiting film maker confessed that about 90 percent of the material on the footage shocked her “primarily because I was an outsider coming in.” 


Generally, people lamented what appeared to be a decline in traditional mas, she said. 


Harper tended to agree based on the footage the group had captured. 


“The traditional elements started in Trinidad and Tobago, and we have to ask ourselves what would make this Carnival different from Toronto’s Carnival or Rio’s Carnival or Miami’s Carnival. 


“So, by beads, bikinis and feathers we are not differentiating ourselves from the other Carnivals around the world. And that is very important to keep because Trinidad is a small country. 


“And, if we have to be unique we have to maintain the traditional elements and characters. Wherever we went that was the big point — that they want to maintain that.” 


The lack of productivity on Ash Wednesday was also a sore point among many people, Harper said. 


“What we found was that there was no traffic and I did not have to fight anybody to get on a maxi to go home,” she said, bursting into laughter. 


Interviewees estimated that about 30 to 40 percent of people stayed at home on Ash Wednesday, the official start of the Lenten season. 


Harper was flabbergasted. 


“The thing is that Ash Wednesday is not really a public holiday in Trinidad and Tobago,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. 


What was even more alarming, she said, was the fact that some employers expect that there would be a poor turnout at work. 


“I learnt that sometimes bosses are chilling on the beach, too,” she said. “Carnival is great but at what cost. Imagine how many businesses lose income based on not being open for Ash Wednesday?” 


Four university academics also had their say about the celebration. 


“Two were for Carnival and the others were against,” said Harper. 


“They said the Government needed to regulate it because they figure that the Government is just trying to make money.” 


Like the other respondents, Harper said, they also felt that the Government was neglecting traditional mas as well as the people who could not afford to go to fetes and play mas. 


The young film maker observed that a lot of people still needed to be educated about the origins of Carnival. 


“Of about 20 people only seven were able to say how Carnival originated,” she said. 


One lecturer, Harper recalled, suggested that the origins of Carnival was seldom taught in primary and secondary schools. 


“You learn more about the US and European and Caribbean History. So they are putting a lot of blame on the Government.” 


Tourists were not to be left out. 


“They loved the women, the alcohol, they love the entire show. They have a blast,” she said. 


Harper argued, though, that while tourists offered a valuable perspective, they were not always best suited to give a comprehensive opinion on Carnival. 


“Tourists just come here and they leave. They do not know what goes on prior to Carnival or after. So, they are wearing blinders. They have not one bad thing to say,” she said. 


“The locals had the best overview because they experience it every year.” 


Expatriates, on the other hand, said although Carnival was too expensive, they got a lot for the money they were putting out.

By COREY CONNELLY

The Other Side of Carnival Promo from Stephanie James on Vimeo.
The Other Side of Carnival is a soon to be released documentary directed and produced by Charysse Tia Harper and helped along the way with a handful of volunteering crew from around the world.

The Other Side of Carnival project started in 2007 resulting in the filming of the 2009 Trinidad Carnival. We have made many friends along the way and met many talented musicians and craftsmen who were all happy to tell their story of their experience with the Trinidad Carnival. We followed small town Mass Bands, Port-of-Spain's The Blue Devils and the general public through their journey of Carnival and managed to get an overall outlook to the life lived through it and beyond.

The Other Side of Carnival Promo 2 from Stephanie James on Vimeo.