Terror threat fails to stop Canboulay crowds

CARLA BRIDGLAL

THREATS of terrorism did nothing to dissuade the hundreds-strong crowd that thronged Piccadilly Greens early yesterday morning for the annual Canboulay re-enactment.

On Thursday evening, the Police Service announced that a terrorist threat to “disrupt Carnival” had been foiled.

“There’s always going to be that element in the country that is going to try and cause more negative bacchanal on top of the positive bacchanal of Carnival. It’s to be expected but it’s not to be admired. The crowds have come out in support of their traditional Canboulay and other traditional events,” Arts and Culture Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said.

A highlight of the Carnival calendar’s traditional mas productions, this year’s Canboulay show delivered the usual thrill and connection to history, with a spirited performance by local actors from a script by Port of Spain’s Poet Laureate, Pearl Eintou Springer. Springer herself had a scene-stealing moment as an impassioned elderly former slave speaking to the younger generation about the importance of the fight for freedom.

The performance traced the evolution of Carnival as a form of expression among the recently freed African slaves in 1838, to the continued struggles of their descendants, culminating in the Canboulay Riot in February 1881. After Emancipation, the colonial government tried to ban elements of expression ostensibly as a threat to public peace, including banning drumming, congregating and Afro-centric religions (like Orisha).

Standout performances included the narrator, who clearly articulated the journey, orienting the audience to the timeline, and the barrack women, unabashedly defending their right in a show of feminist solidarity to display their anger and frustration by lifting their skirts, despite the contempt of the men and other women who chastised their perceived impropriety—a sentiment that still extends today.

After the performance, which started at 4 am and ended just before 6 am, the audience was treated to a procession of traditional mas, including moko jumbies, blue devils and dame lorraines.

For many, this was their first Canboulay. Nicole Gabriel from Diego Martin attended with her daughter, Nyara, and husband, Roger. “This is essential for Carnival in order for you to really understand the meaning behind the Monday and Tuesday,” she said. She was glad her daughter could see TT’s history through this “poetic artistry and vibe.”

Also making the trek to Piccadilly for the first time was renowned local author Earl Lovelace.

“I’ve been trying for years but I’m finally here. I thought it was a very good thing; a very useful thing for us to see the re-enactment of that important occasion and I thought it’s also an artistic enterprise and brings back the history to us,” he said.