Tie Dimanche Gras to J’Ouvert again

THE EDITOR: I share these views with readers on one aspect of our Carnival – Dimanche Gras and its duration.

Older people would tell you that in the early days Dimanche Gras was always tied into J’Ouvert. There was a window of just one hour or so between the two events.

They would also tell you that for them it was a smooth transition from one event to the next. Some would even tell you of changing into their ole mas costumes under the North Stand and then it was straight into J’Ouvert.

Now that these once young people are in their twilight years and are in charge they are recommending shorter shows and earlier cut-off times, citing crime as a reason for their decisions.

These decisions now have fete promoters smiling all the way to the bank as they capitalise on that four-hour window left by these decision makers on what is supposed to be the highlight of our Carnival. Now masqueraders are transitioning from Sunday night fetes straight into J’Ouvert.

In those early years no fete promoter was brave enough to stage anything on Carnival Sunday from 8 pm to 4 am. The transition from Dimanche Gras to J’Ouvert never allowed it.

Shortsightedness has given fete promoters licence to rule the Sunday night roost in spite of the crime.

We must therefore find a way of tying these two events together once more, even if it means having a later start to Dimanche Gras in order to facilitate a shorter, tighter show.

Stop making crime the whipping boy. Let us deal with it with a sense of heightened security. Pay rhythm sections and small steelbands (pan round the neck) to accompany J’Ouvert revellers from the Savannah to downtown.

Those who are crying out for rest and sleep seem not to grasp what Machel and others are pushing as the concept of what a Carnival city ought to be where there is fete after fete after fete after fete.

Jamaica has recently begun to advertise carnival as part of its tourism package – a country that once rejected carnival. Let us stop making excuses about crime and deal with it in a serious way because if we do not we will just be stunting our Carnival growth and the way forward.

Let us put Dimanche Gras back in its rightful place – tie it into J’Ouvert and let us stop clearing track for gouti to run.

LARRY HAREWOOD via e-mail