Mama, This is Mas Too...

One year ago exactly to this date this column entry was entitled 'Mama This is Mas,' and was all about the destruction of traditional Carnival by the Bikini bead Soca movement at the expense of traditional and culturally rich Trinidad Carnival. This is an update to that article and hopes to bring new ideas to a discussion that is still very polarized.

The original carnival 'artistes' who see themselves as defenders of the culture believe themselves to be besieged by a horde of money men milking the festival for everything it's worth, oversexing the product to take advantage to that weakness in our biology and that what is being sold is contributing to the destruction of our society through an attack against social norms built on morality and decency. While there may be some justification in this position, one cannot overlook the fact that this new 'Soca Mas' is also relevant to its target audience, is a very profitable, popular and sellable product and should be allowed its own space (even if that space was to be controlled) to be fully realized.

There will always be good arguments to be made for and against both events depending on your perspective, and it is time the debate was brought up to a rational level so that the needs of all contributors and participants could be understood and respected.

The conversation must continue from the position that Carnival as an expression is highly infectious and will not be denied. Despite different attempts at control over the years, the artform itself continues to spawn and mutate leaving traditional Mas to struggle to claim its own space. This new version has taken advantage of the relaxation of social boundaries over the years and its popularity is contagious. The cross pollination into East Indian culture as 'Chutney' and the viral exportation of our version of Mas globally (as opposed to Rio Carnival) is a testament to the need and validity of such a social release and again we need to approach both sides of the conversation with open minds.

Perhaps, instead of arguing which of the 'Carnivals' has more validity, a point could be made for the severing the two into two separate and distinct events, allowing each to grow and develop outside of the influence of each other.

I suggest traditional 'Trinidad Carnival' continue to be held as the pre-lenten cultural festival and governed by rules for participation  to keep it true to its original design. Participation MUST be limited to traditional and old time Carnival Mas (locally designed & made), calypso and steelpan, and descriptive rules put in place so as to disqualify those that fail to meet such criteria. There should be limits to the size of the bands as well as the volume of music trucks on the roads, and there must be at least one steel band or brass band accompaniment in bands above a certain size to guarantee the involvement of all sectors of society.

As this event would showcase the history, talents and traditions of a large cross section of our people, it should be supported by the State and promoted as such.  

Soca Mas could be moved to an existing holiday weekend (say Discovery Day weekend), established as a festival and promoted worldwide in its own right . Soca Monarch, Chutney Soca Monarch and all competitions having to do with Soca Mas should be moved to the week prior, and should also include what now obtains as pre Carnival fetes.

There is a win win in this as all groups get to participate freely without compromising or diminishing the other, and the Government (through the Ministry of Culture & Social Development) must take the lead in bringing all participants to the table so as to maximize the opportunities inherent in each event.

From here we could really lay claim to being the inventors of carnival and the repository of it as culture for all people all across the globe.

At some point in our maturing we may come to realize that everyone winning is a good thing, that common sense could help us find more and better solutions if we are willing to be open to other points of view.

Something to think about...