Tobago
Corey Connelly
AFTER two years of lockdown due to the Covid19 pandemic, thousands of revelers on Saturday made up for lost time during Tobago’s J’Ouvert breakfast celebrations.
J’ouvert, and in particular, its mud festival, was announced as one of the signature events of the island’s inaugural October Carnival, which began on Friday and ends today.
The main parade route from Viewport Supermarket, along Milford Road, Canaan, to Crown Point, was cut off to vehicular traffic and transformed into a sea of color as revelers sipped wine, danced and danced like there was no tomorrow.
They were accompanied by more than a dozen music trucks playing a mix of contemporary and old-school soca along the route.
At one point, the deejay also struck a soothing note among the crowd, playing some of Burna Boy’s (Damani Ebunoluwa Ogulu) selections.
The Grammy-winning Nigerian-born artiste headlined the Tobago Music and Culture Festival concert at the Plymouth Recreation Ground on Thursday night.
Organizers said Burna Boy gave a rousing performance even though thunderstorms had kept many patrons away.
Although there was also a heavy police and military presence during J’Ouvert, it was reported that a woman suffered a head injury during a bottle-throwing incident and was taken to hospital for medical attention.
The event, which was supposed to start at 4 am, started more than an hour late with the popular group Fog Angels, led by businessman Tele Cruz. It contained several sections in an attractive color palette.
Traditional carnival characters such as moko jumbies, gorillas, blue devils and fire breathers could also be seen among the revelers.
J’Ouvert attracted several well-known entertainment and sports personalities, including Shal Marshall, Trinidad Killa, Turner and national soccer team goalkeeper Kimika Forbes.
Although the Fog Angels had tight security, many people still infiltrated the group for a dance with their family and friends.
“I’ve come out here to pass the time,” said a woman enjoying the mist angels. “You know how long I’ve been preparing for this – since they announced that Tobago was going to have its own carnival in October.”
The woman then laughed and took a selfie with her two friends.
Other bands included Bago Limers’ Color Me Mud; Sin City’s Break Free; Swanky Productions Mas-Up; J’ouvert and Paint of Utopia; dirty medicine; Monkey Buzness, among others.
At 9.30am, the police stopped the music, much to the disapproval of the revelers, some of whom openly condemned the action.
“We eh even get into the good thing yet and the music has already stopped. They give us at least till 12 o’clock,” said one man.
After it became clear that the police were not moving, revelers sat on the sidewalks in confidence, while some took the opportunity to get drinks and food. Others simply walked to their cars.
The exit from Crown Point, however, proved to be a nightmare for eastbound drivers, who were stuck in traffic for several hours after the music stopped.
Police held a press conference on Friday at Shirvan Police Station, outlining their traffic measures for street events during the carnival, among other policing issues for the period, but many felt the plan had failed.
The fun reignited at the Mud is Life festival on Crusoe Drive, Storebay Local Road. The event was supposed to start at 10 am, but the activities took place almost two hours later. Again, traffic jams to get to the venue caused many people to turn away.
However, the show got off to a smooth start with performances by soca artists Ding Dong and Young Bredda.
Mud and water sprayed from all sides covering the revelers as they enjoyed the mixed lineup of performers. However, the crowd thinned after the second hour of the event.
A woman leaving the event said she was unimpressed by the performances and tired of the J’Ouvert festivities.
Another person complained about the length of the performances in the first part of the show.
The energy from soca star Swappi’s performance got the crowd moving, but the artists behind him struggled to keep the audience entertained.
Many of the people at the event were still in their J’Ouvert outfits.
The excitement reached its peak, shortly after noon, when Iwer George was called to the stage. His roaring performance was further enhanced by Gun Man’s Trinidad Killa’s performance of the hit She Hole.
Grenadian soca star Mr. Killa closed the festival as the surprise guest artist.
Spectators went wild as he crowd-surfed on a tarp held by unrestrained revelers through the mud and water.
The event was a celebration of the island’s connection and contribution to the J’Ouvert mud at the TT carnival. It was organized by Mudern Mud in association with the Tobago House of Assembly.
On Friday evening, Pan Trinbago hosted a Pan and Powder Parade with bands such as Tobago’s Katzenjammers and guest bands from Trinidad, among them Massy All Stars and bpTT Renegades.
Today, the carnival culminates with a parade of bands through the streets of Scarborough, starting at 10am.
– with reporting by Elizabeth Gonzales
