Look a bat coming!

IT’S CARNIVAL Monday, and the best advice I can give you is this: Look for a bat. Search for minstrels and baby dolls. As you wander through the streets participating in the greatest show on earth – our Trinidad and Tobago Carnival – be on the lookout for traditional Carnival characters. They are there, just waiting to be discovered, just waiting to remind you of the traditional thread that runs through our Carnival.

You will no doubt marvel at the feathers and sequins, the beads and lame of pretty mas, but don’t forget the fancy Indians with their feathered headdresses. As you weave you way through all those dancing and prancing masqueraders, make sure you look for fancy sailors doing their traditional dances.

Carnival, you will find – especially if you are a tourist – is a rich blend of the old and the new. No matter how we move forward, nostalgia beckons and traditional characters continuously surface. They are small in number, but they loom large in our imaginations. There’s nothing more magical than a midnight robber delivering his blood-curdling speech.

This is the time of year that we really live up to that famous and favourite Trini adage: “All ah we is one.” We move together regardless of race and class, age or occupation.

Each year I marvel at the wonder of our Carnival. For two days, masqueraders, deejays and steelbands own the streets, reminding of us of the freedom of speech and freedom of expression that we often take for granted. Every year I try to remind people of how special these two days are because they represent freedom of speech, freedom of expression. We can sing and dance and wine and prance – indeed, we can stamp our creativity on the streets and on those Carnival stages. Not many countries can boast of having such freedom.

Remember not to limit yourselves to the judging areas. The streets are where it all happens. David Rudder always used to say the “real” Road March is the song that is played the most on the streets – not the song that deejays, brass bands, soca stars and calypsonians deliberately sing as they cross the stage. The songs with the real energy are not necessarily the ones that hype of Carnival revellers on stage. Instead, they are the ones that propel tired, sun-baked masqueraders forward so that they can get to those stages.

Remember to move in groups. Be vigilant and safe. Don’t drink too much. Always make sure you are in control. Above all, avoid danger. Walk away from confrontation. Don’t entertain any ignorance out there in the streets. Don’t argue with angry or drunk people. Just walk away. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Make this Carnival a fun-filled, safe adventure filled with happy memories. That can only happen with co-operation. The music rules the streets – not ignorance on these days where creativity threads its way through this land with colourful costumes and vibrant music.

When all is said and done, Carnival is much more than a memory. It is a link to the past. It is a visual reminder of this country’s history and the resilience of a people – slaves and indentured servants – who found creative ways of expression, often in double entendre, to reach the audience of their choice.

Each Carnival is like a link in a great, never-ending chain firmly tied to the past, but with the ability to pull us towards the future. But these are chains we have created. They are not images of oppression. They are chains that link us all together.

When Carnival is over, remember with pride how we all come together on these two days. Remember how important it is to look at Carnival as a model of co-operation and cohesion.

It is not wrong to say how Carnival defines us because it is a great showcase for our creativity from costumes to music. There’s never a dull moment in Carnival. The streets seem to throb.

This is theatre – street theatre. This is a chance to be an individual like no other, and this is a chance to feel part of a band, part of a group. Most of all, it is the opportunity to feel like part of this great country that is never content with being mundane.

Creativity defines us, and that makes us all proud. Have a happy and save Carnival.

Oh look! Over there. It’s a bat coming your way.