If you’ve been following my 365 project, you’d have realised that I didn’t post anything on Saturday, Sunday or Monday (its early Tuesday morning as I type this).
Well, its Carnival time… and I went to my first Carnival fête: St Mary’s College All-Inclusive (read an interesting review of the 2008 edition of the fetehere). An “all-inclusive fête” is a Carnival fete where everything you need is included in the price. You get as much as you can eat and as much as you can drink, as long as stocks last. The fêtes usually go strong for as much as 10 hours… some start as early as 4pm… and they go ’til after midnight in some cases. St Mary’s is my alma mater, and I usually attend the fete.
In lieu of my lack of photos, here’s a video I recorded of a performance at the fete: Kes the Band featuring Nadia Batson who sings with them as their female lead, although she’s an artiste separate and apart from the band.
I love making mistakes like these. I think they look so cool.
I was bumped on the elbow when I took this picture of a calypsonian performing at a calyspo show. He was dressed up as a magistrate and was swinging his gavel as he sang his composition.
“Kaiso! Kaiso!” is a phrase of encouragement, akin to “Bravo! Bravo!”
Kaiso is another name for calypso, the indigenous music created and loved by Trinbagonians & Caribbean people.
The thing about getting up late in the morning on Carnival day is that you miss the opportunity to get pictures in “good light”. With the sunlight being the brightest thing for miles, not only will you save batteries by not having to use a flash, but everything you want to shoot simply looks good.
I, however, like to take shots at night, with my flash. There’s something that ‘pops out’ when you watch mas at night… more so when you take a picture of it. All the glitter mas makers use in their creations come into full effect when the sun goes down. It kicks up the portrayals a notch… or a few.
I like the energy of night mas, too. You’d think that the masqueraders would be dog tired after jumping up and down in the hot sun for two whole days… but they’re still so full of life and energy… its infectious! They do their collective best to just wring the best out of the last few hours of Carnival, willing it to stay, offering their jumping and wining and wailing as offerings to the Bacchanalia.
Carnival 2009? You were one of the best. I hope you took good notes to pass on to Carnival 2010!
Hey, folks… here’s the second part of my 2009 Carnival picture collection. Like I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I wasn’t out for very long on Carnival Tuesday, and for a short time I had the bad luck of being caught in a bad position when a great band was making its way across the stage… I was facing the sun.
Anyway, I didn’t let that deter me from the mission at hand… which was to capture a little piece of the bacchanal that is Carnival to share with you.
The bulk of the pix are from the band Legends, led by Big Mike and his partner Juliette. The rest are from Trevor Wallace.
Most of these were taken on Ariapita Avenue in Port of Spain, close to the NCC Judging point at Adam Smith Square.
Hey folks! I know I haven’t posted in a bit, but I was kept really busy at work. I guess I should be thankful – being busy at work means that at least I still have a job! Not many can say that, so I am grateful! 🙂
Like I mentioned in my last post, I was on the road for Carnival… Tuesday. My feet hurt, my abs hurt… everything but my head, which was real niiiice. So Monday after Jouvay, yours truly simply chilaxed by the girlfriend. So we hit the road on Tuesday.
Each year at 4 am on Carnival Monday, Carnival begins under a cloak of darkness. Fuelled by exhilaration and the energetic rhythms of soca music, revellers take to the streets for the predawn party of J’Ouvert.
J’Ouvert from the French ‘jour ouvert’ or ‘day open’ is almost ritualistic in its celebration of the darker elements of the island’s folklore and history. Bathed in chocolate, mud, oil and paint, bands of revellers depict devils, demons, monsters and imps. Choose your medium of expression; J’Ouvert is a time for loosening of inhibitions.
I chose to play with “Generation Lion”, a band fronted by an old schoolmate of mine, Rubadiri Victor. “Generation Lion” is the title of a magazine he produces which highlights Trinidad and Tobago’s social, cultural and sporting groundbreakers. Its the largest glossy magazine in the Caribbean (its usually over 300 pages long), and its in its 4th printing.
Here’s some of the action I encountered on the road…
I’m on my way to get some more Carnival pictures… see you soon!
I went to my big sister’s graduation ceremony at the University of the West Indies (St Augustine campus) on Friday Oct 31, 2008 (Halloween). She graduated (with distinction, mind you) with her post-graduate diploma in “Educational Technology”.
After the first honourary PhD recipient (MrKynaston McShine — a QRC old boy) gave his moving acceptance speech, it was Stalin’s turn…
“Ah… I had ah mind to give a lil speech this morning… but after Dr. McShine speech, I feel is better I sing (audience laughs/claps).
Flickr: Ricosmixxx
Ah came here dis morning to just do one calypso and leave… but ah tink this being ah graduation– one such as this with so much young people — we should add another one to it — jus’ fuh so…
(audience applauds)
Yuh know and… and this particular song… we going to do this one with no music (motions to band to be still)… so we could let de message hit home…which is so much easier when yuh do it acappella style…
We just want to say that… yuh know… God <???> … regardless of your position, regardless of your condition, one of the things we know is that… we doh run dis world… somebody else does run it for us… and while passing thru, we got to make de best of it… so …ahm… here is my story…”
(starts singing his song “In Times” acappella)
We seem to feel that life is over
just because we throw a few pennies down de gutter
We seem to feel everything is lost
so we fighting to get back something at any cost
but while we fighting and we fighting just to get back that little something…
we keep forgetting that we know nothing of this world in which we livin’
Someone greater put this world together
So we must remember…
In times of plenty we must be grateful
In times of sorrow we must be strong
In times of joy we must be thankful
Because life really have its ups and its downs
In times of disaster we must be ready
To get together and move obstacles out de way
And if you listen to this watchword from yuh lover, Black Stalin
Tomorrow would be ah better day
We meet ah world today wit four seasons
Who is we to try and find out “what’s the reason?”
And what goes roun’ so…
Must come back roun’ so
Why dat is so, nobody doh know
And there are so much other mysteries
That nobody still can answer
So we just got to say ‘thanks’ and keep looking to de future
because dis world is not yours to control
it is just to behold, so…
In times of plenty we must be grateful
In times of sorrow we must be strong
In times of joy we must be thankful
Because life really have its ups and its downs
In times of disaster we must be ready
To get together and move racism out de way
And if you listen to this watchword from yuh lover, Black Stalin
Tomorrow would be ah better day
As we go thru this life we livin’
we must know by now that this world owe us nuttin’
so live yuh life, just enjoy it,
and just try to leave dis world better dan yuh meet it
because de maker of dis world which nobody has no contract
no paper is going to tell you yesterday is going to come back
so… look ahead but without looking dead
after all is said…
In times of plenty we must be grateful
In times of sorrow we must be strong
In times of joy we must be thankful
Because life really have its ups and its downs
In times of disaster we must be ready
To get together and move racism out de way
And if you listen to this watchword from yuh lover, Black Stalin
Tomorrow would be ah better day
…for you and you and you…
(fades)
(audience applauds)
Stalin then went on to perform one of his beloved songs “Caribbean Unity” aka “Caribbean Man”, with just guitar and drum accompaniment. The audience sang along without prompting, too.
You can find the lyrics to that song at the Toronto Lime website.
Apologies for the poor audio/video quality, but I was fairly high up in the bleachers, and that was the best I could do with my camera maxed out at 3x zoom. I need a new camera, and I’ve been a good boy all year, right, Santa?
CalypsoWorld
It was really nice to hear Stalin and to see him moved enough by the occasion to give the graduands this piece of advice in song, which I’m sure they appreciated (especially the undergrads). It was really appropriate too. Maybe the upcoming US election had something to do with it. Being poised on the threshold of history will do that to you I suppose.
He (Stalin) really is a man of the people, and while he seemed a bit in awe at all the pomp and ceremony of the occasion, he was…well, how do I put it…*Stalin* ! He will never lose his common touch, which is why so many Trinbagonians love and admire him so much. Even while he walked through the venue, he took the time to acknowledge the starstruck in the crowd with his winning smile.
With the mess the world is in today, with all manner of danger, threat and peril looming around every corner and facet of our lives, lets sincerely hope and pray that the UWI Graduating Class of 2008 will follow the goodly Doctor’s orders and make a difference in the lives, hearts and minds of the whole world.
This Red Indian Chief was pulling his own teepee along with him for the ride. His band was waiting alongside Memorial Park while awaiting their turn to cross the Savannah stage on Carnival Tuesday 2008.
The Bobolee Chronicles 