Every year, after Carnival, carnival gurus, appraisers, purists and purveyors of morality gather to offer the usual carnival critiques. These criticisms usually center around the lack of creativity, the loss of culture and of course the hypersexualization of the festival.
The dialogue around carnival is often analyzed – there is the music, criticized by some as ‘koshonee’; parties, the word most associated with carnival parties is ‘expensive’; and then of course, there is the parade, the two days on the road, for the straightest of us, nothing less than a public display of debauchery. These parts come together to form the sum of what is carnival, our carnival, St. Lucia’s carnival. By the way, what is St. Lucia Carnival? We will return to this question at a later date.
This article is not intended to present a counterargument to these typical criticisms, but rather to expand the conversation around the festival and hopefully arrive at a more viable middle ground. It may be helpful to briefly review some of the common talking points of Carnival’s most vocal critics:
Carnival as an art form has disappeared.
“The art form is gone.” How is this measured objectively? Who defines what carnival is as an art form? The Oxford Dictionary defines art as “the expression or application of the creative faculties and human imagination, usually in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” By this definition we could argue, though we won’t, that the work put into the costumes of the most obnoxious party bands is art, of course it may not be the carnival purist’s particular brand of ‘art’, but it is all the same art. Art, and thus carnival is not and should not be limited to only one kind of artistic expression, the very essence and root of carnival is that of rebellion against the status quo. Based on this premise, why then is the argument to keep entertainers conforming to the old, nostalgic days of standards and long shiny pants.
We have lost our carnival culture
Have we really lost our culture? It seems that when it comes to the conversation of carnivals, more specifically the band parade, we sometimes confuse, or perhaps confuse, tradition and culture. “The main difference between culture and tradition is that traditions describe the beliefs and behaviors of a group that are transmitted from one generation to another. Culture describes the common characteristics of the entire group, which has been accumulated throughout its history.” While nuanced, tradition and culture are not the same, at the risk of oversimplifying both, tradition is static, while culture is fluid, culture builds on old traditions, revives, rethinks, reinvents in accordance with the current times. It is not the intention of the ‘neo-carnivalist’ to completely abandon carnival traditions or the foundations laid by our carnival icons; All these young carnival enthusiasts want to do is take the tradition and make it their own, with music, parties and yes, confidently displaying their bodies.
Carnivals are no longer for locals.
What is the qualifier for that statement and whose responsibility is it to ensure that the carnival product is indigenously inclusive? 2022 was somewhat of an unusual year for the carnival year, it is not often that a carnival is organized while navigating a pandemic, a war and the resulting global increases in the cost of goods and services. Event promoters and carnival band owners were not immune to these increases, increases (as expected) which are passed on to customers. Does an increase in the cost to attend an event or buy a costume mean that carnivals are no longer for the locals? Is it the event owner’s responsibility to ensure that events are priced at a point that all and sundry can afford? However, every event for the year was well attended and certainly not surpassed by foreigners. We declare carnival as our biggest cultural event, we say it is a major economic driver – then the responsibility to increase the carnival output cannot fall solely on the shoulders of private individuals. Food for thought.
The focus is on foreigners.
This point of discussion seems somewhat at odds with St. Lucia’s main economic driver. Aren’t we a tourist destination, we don’t want, we need foreigners to visit our shores? This talking point smacks of xenophobia or is just plain ignorant. We want people to visit our shores for Carnival and spend money at our hotels, Airbnbs, bars, restaurants, shops, supermarkets, car rentals, Friday Gros Islet and more. 2013 report entitled “Economic Impact of Carnival in Saint Lucia – Results of a Study to Assess the Economic Impact of Carnival Activities to Inform Policy on Carnival Production.” stated: “The visitor exit survey shows that there were 2,497 arrivals who came to Saint Lucia specifically for Carnival, with an average length of stay of 8.3 days… the exit survey result suggests that the people who came specifically for Carnival 2013 from abroad Saint Lucia spent an average of 3,602.20 XCD while here, for a total expenditure of 8,994,693.40 XCD.” I would hazard a guess that in 2019 and 2022 we greatly exceeded these numbers. Saint Lucia is not exactly awash with economic drivers at the moment, it would be advisable to explore ways to build industry around this type of economic activity. If these numbers are not enough to convince you that we need to think more about the carnival industry, the article “Carnivals: A Celebration for Development” by Daniela Pena Lazaro, written for the Inter-American Development Bank, states: “…carnivals are an expression of the enormous potential of the creative industries, an ecosystem that generates over $124 billion in revenue annually…” Have we maximized our collective capabilities to create a bigger slice of that billion dollar pie?
Carnival is just ‘sex in the street’
Who are they seeing having sex in the street? Perhaps we could argue that entertainers dance in sexually suggestive ways. However, we could also argue that sexual suggestiveness is a matter of perception – revelers may regard their dancing as nothing more than “waist-tightening”, waist-exercise, without the slightest thought of anything remotely sexual. The spectator on the side of the road or the person watching on their television or computer will perceive the actions of the entertainer(s) as lewd, dishonest and inappropriate. Both views are true for both groups because they are framed by their lenses and their beliefs and perceptions, neither of their truths should be affected by the other. Carnival at its core is self-expression, since this is done without breaking the law and generally acceptable behavior within the context of the festival, we must make a greater effort to respect people’s right to enjoy their carnival of well earned.
If we continue like this, there will be no carnival for the next generation
As our carnival has evolved through the generations, how many times has this statement been made? In the article “Carnivals: Celebration for Development” the author states: “Although they represent tradition and heritage, they are characterized by their ability to evolve with time… As times evolve, carnivals – like any other tradition – must continue. pace, not only to ensure their existence, but to find more ways to benefit the communities they serve and engage larger audiences.”
There will be carnivals for this generation and for the next, what is most important to this conversation is how to define St Lucia Carnival in a way that balances between what has come before and where we want to go.
