UWI hosts virtual Carnival symposium – Panchayat: The Mas(s) In We

THE University of the West Indies (UWI) on Wednesday begins a three-day virtual Carnival research and arts symposium at which the main question it hopes to answer is: what is the value of Carnival to society?

The symposium is aptly titled “Panchayat: The Mas(s) in We: (Re)claiming de People’s Festival” and is hosted UWI's St Augustine campus' Faculty of Humanities and Education (FHE). The term Panchayat is Indian in origin and generally means a communal gathering of elders to discuss important matters.

The symposium, according to a UWI press release began on Wednesday and runs until Friday. One of the speakers, Jessel Murray who is Senior Lecturer of Music in the Department of Creative & Festival Arts and FHE Deputy Dean for Distance and Outreach said, “The deferral of the 2021 Carnival celebration provides a much-needed opportunity to reflect on the value of Carnival to the society.

"We at The UWI believe that it is critical that this moment is not wasted but is used instead to recalibrate the festival because it is obvious that there will be no returning to ‘business as usual. Such a forum can also help in the rebuilding a festival ecology that is more sustainable – financially, environmentally and socially."

He said the symposium is a safe space to converse about the ways in which the festival can be (re)fashioned to mediate the impulses of untethered profiteering, formulaic creative expressions and State "policing."

The three-day proceedings will include panel discussions from academics, researchers and activists, and round table discussions featuring notable stakeholders, creatives and other arts workers on the thematic areas of mas, literature, identity, music, history and resistance.

The schedule of events also involves filscreenings, literary readings/discussions, and short interludes or pre-recorded testimonials from the general public.

“Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival is a space which affords opportunities to ordinary folk to ‘talk back’ to the powers in society: to push the envelope, to laugh, to sneer or even destroy the structures of power and the personalities that represent societal oppression.

"The art and acts of ‘pushing and talking back’ have traditionally opened up room for society to look at itself, to reflect on its actions and to restore its better Angels. Carnival has always represented a site where celebrants can assert their political and spiritual agency. We hope to further stimulate the national conversation on this vital festival,” Murray said.

The symposium is being live streamed via The University of the West Indies, St Augustine (UWISTA) YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/uwistaugustine.