When it comes to Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, it’s safe to expect around 1.4 million opinions on any related topic. The fact that every Trinbagonian has an opinion drives the range of issues, problems and challenges we face every day.
This is the case with many among us, whether they gamble or not. In this particular case, it is an expression of the deep identification that every Trinbagonian has with what we proudly regard as a national festival.
In one of the many tributes to the spectacle for which we are known by large numbers of people in distant destinations as well as others near, a calypsonian many years ago described it as a “Creole bacchanal.”
It is therefore only natural that Tobago’s pioneering carnivals in October should be the subject of great debate and excitement. Consequently, the air between the islands has been heavy with comments on the pioneering decision of the Tobago House of Assembly for a Tobago Carnival. The stage is set for such an event in October. That’s roughly two months away.
In doing so, the challenge is to produce a spectacle that is uniquely Tobagonian. The objective here is clearly to present a version of this increasingly popular mix of culture, creativity, color and brilliance that will take its place among the rest.
Rightfully so, the organizers have been given the mandate to shape an event that has the stamp of the uniqueness of the people all over it.
What is at stake here is the bold ambition to create and evolve something that will take its place among many such extravagances in different parts of the world. This includes, of course, Trinidad’s famous Carnival. Something authentically Tobagonian is what is called for.
Just as other carnivals in the region have taken their shape and form from the knowledge gained from our national festival, what is envisioned as Tobago’s carnival will draw inspiration and knowledge. There can be no doubt about that, judging by how other similar events such as the Grenada Spice Mas, the Barbados Crop Over and the Jamaican carnival have taken significant inspiration from the T&T model. Similarly, the addition of Tobago to this stock will come into its own.
We know about the deep cultural roots that helped shape the island’s identity and were displayed with such acclaim during the height of the now-defunct Best Village competitions.
It wouldn’t make sense for the island to simply replicate what already exists. This is given the abundance of ways in which something different and more emblematic of the island’s sense of artistic, creative and cultural self can be harvested in this regard.
For these reasons, Tobagonians should be encouraged to explore the limits of possibility in this task.
One thing’s for sure, though: Trinis will be hitting the streets of Tobago in droves on those October dates. With this assurance, planners and executors must now look to cast their nets further into the realm of new markets.
