In the pantheon of Trinidad Mas Characters, the Sailor Mas is probably the most dominant. And the fancy sailor mas costume is the most popular. Those are the ones you see where the base is an American sailor uniform heavily embellished. It could be white. But that is more for traditional sailor mas, the kind…
On Thursday (27th March) UWI’s Literary Cultural and Communications Studies department presented ‘From Steam to Soca,’ the latest in a series of talks on issues that matter to the culture of Trinidad and Tobago. Hosts, and PhD candidates within the department, Abeo Jackson and Omari Ashby interviewed Lady Lava and Squeezy Rankin. Let me first…
A lone figure steps into the middle of a Belmont Street, signaling the start of the procession. He wears what looks like a floor-length dress; it’s made with dried banana leaves. He has a beaded headpiece that extends past his waist, with two straw-like spears attached to his back. His face, shoulders and arms are…
Note: Published in February of 2023. At the time I wanted a local paper to ask and answer the following: can influencer marketing increase Trinidad and Tobago’s tourist arrivals? The answer seems to be yes, but there is a concern that the opportunity is not being seized. February 19, 2023 – Business Guardian Tracey Lyons-White…
Note: I first wrote this in 2023. This year many people seemed to have taken to Paramin to experience the Blue Devils and just enjoy a different type of Carnival. It really does seem like this Carnival was the one to give us what we needed, and I love that for us. I will explore…
There were familiar names in both the Carnival Kings and Queen’s categories that made it into the semi-final round of next Wednesday’s (26th February) turn before the judges. Topping the men’s competition, and securing his place in next Wednesday’s semi-finals is Fareid Carvalho with Dralozo: A Being From The Sun. Nicole Hercules’ stunning De Tiger…
I received a late invitation to cover Kings & Queen’s preliminaries in the Savannah last evening. I accepted because it is one of my favourite parts of the Carnival, and a dream of mine to perform. The show, however, always takes too long. But is one of those things where it is better to see…
As has become his habit, when Robert Young hosts a band launch, he creates an experience. And so, on Thursday 13th, February he hosted a talk at Propaganda Space on Erthig Road, Belmont to share Kongo Day with the public. He held a similar talk a week prior, but Thursday was special. It would also…
“You see Trinidad and Brazil we have the same vibration. Ile Ife, Ile Ife, she make me to understand.” Bahia Girl – David Rudder A conversation on Africa in the Carnival has to come with caveats. The earliest reporting of the Carnival was done by White elites who were hostile to the activities of the…
Trinidadians are being chastised for not learning the lessons of the pandemic. Cultural Studies Lecturer Dr. Kai Barratt says the One Caribbean Music Festival featuring Dancehall artist Adija Palmer aka Vybz Kartel is a type of insecurity that exists in this country for foreign validation. The organisers say the show which is scheduled for Carnival…