As Tobago enters the carnival space in October, the island is looking to stamp its unique brand on the festival.
Tashia Burris, Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transport said this will not be another Trinidad-style event, but an opportunity for the island to show what it can do.
She said conversations about Tobago’s Carnival have shifted to a conversation about autonomy and stated that Tobago is ready to stand on its own and stamp its mark on the rest of the world when it comes to Carnival.
Burris said that while many countries have a Trinidad-style carnival, Tobago will seize the opportunity and create its own style.
“We intend to present a spectator spectacle and a masquerade masquerade,” she said.
Burris was speaking at the media launch of the Tobago Carnival at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex on Wednesday.
Meisha Trim, Chairperson of the Tobago Carnival committee echoed her sentiments.
“It is indeed time to focus and declare an identifiable Tobagonian stamp on the global calendar of festival events. October’s carnival celebrations will reveal the hidden treasures of our cultural soul and reshape the carnival experience as we know it, the birth of a new and unique tourism product that is New World in its context, viable in its regional vision and important in its local structure,” she said in her address.
Tobago’s carnival slogan is Ritual, Fun, Liberation. The logo and calendar of events were revealed at the launch.
Among the many events to be held are a Night Mas, a Mud Festival and a TUCO Tobago Lime.
Diane Hadad, head of the Tobago Chamber of Commerce branch said that based on what she saw at the presentation, she thinks the committee did well considering the time frame it took to get everything together, but the proof is in the pudding.
She said from a business perspective she would like to see Caribbean Airlines or a combination of the Civil Aviation and Airports Authority coordinate to ensure the necessary flights are provided.
“We want to see the port authority use the ferries, take our tax dollars that we fought so hard for two beautiful new ferries, let them move people back and forth, put on additional sailings. So the responsibility lies with the Ministry of Transport, with NIDCO and with the Port Authority. Let’s make all our leaders who were elected to the role of leadership in our country do their part to ensure that this becomes a success story for us,” she said.
The Tobago Carnival will take place from October 28 to 30.
See the list of events marked for the Tobago Carnival 2022 on the website.
