Before I go on, let me state categorically that I am in full support of the October Carnival in Tobago. Indeed, I am not just paying lip service, I am also offering my tangible support. To this end, since June of this year, before the details of the festival have yet been announced, in a move akin to “buying a cat in a bag”, as a Tobago patriot and carnival lover, I made arrangements to be present at my hometown to be fully present. I immerse myself in the festival activities.
Despite this decision, I’ve had some burning questions for a while, but I was waiting and hoping to get some of my answers without asking publicly. However, seeing as October is fast approaching and my answers are not forthcoming, I can’t wait any longer. So here goes:
• Is the Tobago Carnival in October a replacement on that island for the NATIONAL festival in February/March? In other words, is the plan to have a Trinidad Carnival in February/March and a Tobago Carnival in October?
If the plan is to have separate carnivals;
• What will happen in Tobago during the period before Lent?
• Would there be no carnival related activities or very limited carnival related activities?
• Will Tobagonians be expected to go to work/school as normal on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday?
I really can’t imagine a scenario where on the traditional Monday and Tuesday of Carnival, Trinidadians are involved in some serious fun and in Tobago it’s business as usual.
• Will Tobago steelbands be allowed to participate in the Trinidad Panorama (ex-National) competition?
• Will Tobago calypsonians be allowed to participate in TUCO’s Calypso Monarch competition? And Monarch Soca?
• Will Tobago have a special Road March?
Mas Band of the year would not be a problem as the competition has always been held separately in the islands.
In my opinion, having two separate events is highly impractical and impossible, so the most likely scenario is one in which Tobago will be in the unique position of hosting two carnivals each year. However, some questions still arise with this scenario
If Tobago will produce two carnivals a year;
• What will be the scale of each?
• Will both have equal status?
• What will be the similarities/differences?
• Does the Central Government/THA have the financial means to fund two annual carnivals in Tobago this “guava season” on a sustainable basis?
Currently, the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) under the NCC (Pan Trinbago, Trinbago Unified Calypsonian Organization (TUCO) and TT Carnival Bands Association) rely heavily on government funding to execute carnival activities for the National Festival. The same will happen for both Tobago Festivals. The SIGs will request funding directly from the THA, or indirectly from the Central Government, as the THA in its annual budget will request funding for both events from the Central Government.
Of course, the reliance on Government/THA funding can be mitigated if the corporate sector in Tobago is prepared to provide significant financial assistance, but;
• Will Tobago businesses that will reap significant financial benefits from the October Carnival be prepared to assist each year with the funds needed to undertake the event? Or are they prepared to earn profits without investing?
• Do Tobago’s leaders and masqueraders have the financial resources to produce/perform mas twice a year?
In this regard, several concerns come to mind, two of which I will single out.
The first concern is for gang leaders. Based on what’s going on this year, competition from growing bands for the limited funds of potential masqueraders could be a major threat to the successful production of a mas band. Indeed, I saw a recent post by a group, Paragon Promotions, where they were considering “pulling the plug” on their mass production because “Tobago Carnival is bombarded with alternative parties compared to the actual Carnival”.
The parties are an integral part of the carnival and will definitely attract visitors to the island. However, given the limited size of the potential market and the aforementioned financial considerations, holding too many festivals can severely compromise the success of other key elements (mas, kaiso, pan) of the festival.
• Is this what THA really wants? An October FETSival, as opposed to an October FESTival?
From the masqueraders’ point of view (both Trinidadians and Tobagonians), prepayment for costumes for the February/March carnival must be made by August/September of the previous year, with full payment in some cases by December of the previous year.
• Would they be willing/able to pay the masqueraders who usually perform in February/March for two costumes over a three to six month period?
I am aware that in some carnivals that take place after our own, some bandleaders/masqueraders recycle costumes from their particular year group, however as THA has strongly indicated that the idea is to produce a unique Tobago experience, using costumes from recycled for this event cannot/should not be an option.
This is not an exhaustive list of questions. Based on the feedback I have received to date; I actually have a few more about the functional aspects of the festival, but those can wait. For now, I hope to go and have a great time at the event in hopes that it lives up to the hype.
Claude A Job
