By Kimberly Ramkhalawan
February 21, 2023
Its Carnival weekend in Trinidad and Tobago, and the air is buzzed with activity across the island, marking a return to the mas, pageantry, festivals galore, colour and splendour after two years of lock down owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The liberty to fete, wine and jam could not come any sooner for the twin island republic and the release can be felt in the air. The all inclusive parties started right off the Christmas season, while pan bands prepped for the Panorama finals.
This year the National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago, NCC, dubbed the return to mas, the “Mother of Carnivals”. Government allocated some $147M for events surrounding the festival.
Now if you are not familiar with Trinidad and Tobago mas, its latter weekend into the two festival culminates with events all running into eachother. And if you intend to participate in each and every single one, prepare to be a zombie on the road, as most Trinis.
Canboulay riots reenacted often signal the start of the weekend long event. It was a return to the Piccadilly Greens in the capital city of Port of Spain for the theatrical display of what spurned the national event. Canboulay which when translated from French, ‘cannes brulees’ speaks of the burning cane, in which the formerly enslaved fought for their rights to masquerade from then British rulers back in 1881, despite the abolition of slavery in Trinidad and Tobago in 1838. Owing to the French, the free and enslaved Africans along with others mulattoes, often staged a ‘farewell to the flesh’ before the start of the Lenten period on the Christian calendar, dressing up in costumes made from materials they had on hand, mimicking the then rulers. However, in 1881, Captain Arthur Baker, head of the police force, attempted to curtail the event, which he saw a threat to public safety. The revelers determined, held their toned down events but was still met with opposition which went down in the history books as Canboulay.
Friday night has usually been the International Soca Monarch night,and is often known as Fantastic Friday. This year, due to lack of funding, the ISM which usually crowns the soca monarch crown along with a champion in the Groovy soca monarch category, was not held. Instead, popular soca artiste, Machel Montano, who vowed not to return with his signatory ‘Machel Monday’, or ‘Monk Mondays’ fete, took the Friday for the staging of a new event. While many patrons say they were left disappointed, with the Machel 40-One show, which came at TT$1000 a ticket, many were left waiting for hours to enter gates into the venue. Nevertheless, his tune this year ‘Welcome Home’ which features talents, Voice, Agent Sasco and Travis World is appears to be the most promising tune for the Road March title, to be judged based on the number of plays during the two-day parade of bands on the roads. On the other side of the island, several Chutney Soca artistes battled it out for the CSM at the newly renovated Skinner Park in San Fernando. This year saw Daddy Chinee take the crown along with a nine-year-old girl, Katelin Sultan take the queen title this year, marking the youngest artiste to win in the finals.
Saturday gave the little tykes a chance to parade, jump and dance in their costumes across the judging stage at the Queens Park Savannah, with Zebapique productions putting forward the largest children’s band with a whopping thirteen sections. This year saw some 60 junior bands participate and cross the stage.
But it was not the only kind of band to cross the stage Saturday, as 13 large steelbands competed in Panorama Finals setting the savannah alight, as each band played their hearts out sending off pyrotechnics to mark the crescendo of their musical arrangements and their performances. Crowd favourite, bp Renegades took the champions from defending Desperadoes scoring 283 points with their tune of choice, Black Stalin’s ‘Feeling to Party’, Republic Bank’s Exodus trailed behind three points less to take second place with ‘Tourist Leggo’. Renegades managed to keep the top place right through the qualifying rounds to the semis. This year, Panorama officials opened-up selection of tune arrangements to any calypso that celebrates traditions from any year gone by, moving from limiting songs to the current year.
Sunday night also saw the crowing of this year’s Calypso Monarch during the Dimanche Gras show. Duane Ta’zyah O’connor took the 2023 National Calypso Monarch at the Dimanche Gras Show at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on Sunday, with his song ‘Sing Hallelujah’. The 20-year-old is a former Junior Calypso Monarch who placed second in this year’s Young Kings competition. He also is the son of former monarch Duane O’Connor. The night also saw senior kings and queens take their titles, King Raymond Mark won with ‘The Feathered Serpent Creature “Ku Kul Kan”’, while Priya Nagassar won with her depiction of ‘The Mother of All Carnivals-Celebrations’.
J’ouvert, heralding Carnival Monday across the island, with mud mas festivities across the country, music trucks and revelers out on the roads in their numbers in bands chipping to soca music, some performed live by artistes such as Kes and Nadia Batson, who was spotted on top a truck in the city of San Fernando.
Later in the day, traditional mas characters crossed the stage in the parade of the bands. Burrokeets, Dame Lorraines, Fancy Sailors, Jab Jab, Midnight Robbers, Minstrels, Moko Jumbies often take the streets in their bands, while moko jumbies are viewed on the sides of the event.
While Carnival Tuesday sees the costumes designed for the year, masqueraders play in sectioned bands depicting the designated theme, chipping to the sound of the most popular soca of the season. Often called the bikini and beads of mas, costumes are usually decorated with feathers, while wired bras have become the latest trend. In recent years this has not won band of the year, as judges still look for telling of a story. Popular mas man, Brian McFarlane has retained this title for quite some time, as keeping to the traditions of mas. This year popular bands were Yuma, Tribe, Legacy by Big Mike Antoine, Bliss, Young Harts and Trini Revelers.
With the declaration of the Road March title to be officially announced on Ash Wednesday, there was a mix of song favourites on the streets this year, including ‘Come Home’ by Nailah Blackman featuring Skinny Fabulous going head to head with ‘Hard Fete’ by Bunji Garlin, along with ‘Welcome Home’ by Machel Montano, and Olatunji’s Engine Room getting quite a number of plays at judging points along parade routes.
The results will be tallied by the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation, TUCO, they say this year it has partnered with Tourism Trinidad this year, to announce the ‘Visit Trinidad Road March’ Champion, and a grand prize of $250,000 to be given.
Tomorrow, often dubbed cool-down Wednesday, many will flock to popular beach spots for a saltwater bath and a last lap fete along the beach.