Editorial
Newsday
The OFFICIAL launch of Carnival 2023 was pushed back on Wednesday from this Saturday in November, but expectations of the festival and the need for answers on how it will develop remain at the same level.
Carnival may not be at the forefront of everyone’s mind right now, given all that is unfolding around us (the new November 5th departure date avoids some of the bad weather forecast for this week). But now is the right time – if not already overdue – for clarity on the nature of the 2023 season, which will be the first to fully unfold in years.
Private organizations have already “launched” the Carnival season and the disconnection between their efforts and the state speaks volumes for the lost opportunities for cooperation and coordination.
At the height of the Covid19 pandemic, many officials noted that the “new normal” would dictate major changes to the way we do things, including our annual festival. At one point, after the life-saving vaccines arrived, a government minister declared that the next carnival would be “the mother of all carnivals”.
We’ve seen little sign of a new approach or one that suits a holiday marked as different from previous editions. In fact, so far Carnival 2023 looks to be more of the same. And not in a good way.
The group’s leaders were embroiled in legal wrangling last month just as they needed to come together to produce something extraordinary.
Meanwhile, there has been little indication of what rules and procedures will be put in place for groups to manage health claims. No one has mentioned the possibility of any such arrangement for holidays and similar gatherings.
There is little sign of a contingency plan if the Covid19 situation worsens. Indeed, the possibility of the emergence of another variant of the coronavirus or a new pandemic is not even an afterthought.
The authority of the National Carnival Commission, meanwhile, has been challenged by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) hosting its own carnival, which is expected next month.
The more carnival events the merrier, and it’s good that Tobago is doing its own thing, as this potentially ties in well with its tourism industry and provides those looking for an exit with a welcome exit ahead of 2023.
But the lack of details about Tobago’s plans at this late stage – we’re only given a list of events – suggests the two islands may share the same approach: do things at the last minute. (THA current ole mas may also explain Tobago’s apparent lack of focus.)
It is in the country’s interest that Tobago’s carnival succeeds, and for that reason alone, the NCC – whose offer of assistance the THA is said to have rejected – should have been involved.
Again, Tobago may be aware of the history of Trinidad’s Bachanal Carnival.
The start of November will be a good opportunity to set another tone, even at the eleventh hour.
