The blood of the crab

Culture Matters

DARA E HEALY

“Everybody asks what was Man Crab; what it was about? It was a machine showing all the technological parts of man...What is the significance of the blood? All this greed, all this eating up of everything around him – which is what is happening around us – he ends up killing himself to win wars and things like that. That’s what Man Crab was about.”

– Masquerader Peter Samuel, explaining Peter Minshall’s Man Crab, 1983

ALWIN CHOW LIN ON, associate producer for the Minshall camp, explained that the body of the crab represented technology, computers and weapons. Its claws signified blades or swords. A creative decision was taken to point all the claws upwards; practically, they would be able to hold up the white canopy and the effect of upright claws would be more menacing.

Chow Lin On admitted that Minshall and the team knew that the costume could be viewed as anti-Carnival, in that it was anything but beautiful. Indeed, he reveals that the team hoped the crowd would boo, because they got the meaning of the masquerade and were repulsed by it.

At 60, it is expected that we should be asking some hard questions. It is true we have much to celebrate and of which to be proud. It seems that we will finally correct some historical wrongs by renaming our schools, streets and public spaces for the people who built our nation. More promises are being made for the sustainability of the pan. And there are greater efforts to develop local programmes to reverse the damaging effects of excessive foreign media content.

But how well are we aging? As the flag of colonialism lowered, I can only imagine the excitement and sense of promise. Many would have listened to Dr Eric Williams on the radio as he challenged the new nation, “What use will you make of your independence? What will you transmit to your children five years from today? The first responsibility that devolves upon you is the protection and promotion of your democracy. Democracy means more, much more, than the right to vote…Democracy means recognition of the rights of others.”

The words of Dr Williams echo still as we contemplate a nation struggling with violence, corruption, abuse and the need for improved leadership.

I wanted to write something a bit lighter today, take a break from the heavy themes of colonialism, genocide and reparations of the past few weeks. But Man Crab crawled through my head and onto the page, scratching away at the inner walls of my mind. I worry about us, want us to be better at this nationhood thing and the way we use technology is critical to the discussion.

In many ways, young people are being left on their own to navigate the mysteries and dysfunctionalities of Tik Tok, Instagram and other platforms. Research continues to prove that social media is often a source of unhappiness and dissatisfaction, especially among the youth. A recent pilot programme in Europe allowed journalists to share techniques with young people for deciphering the difference between fake news and real stories, as well as help them cope with the negative effects of media.

For me, this must be the evolution of our independence. How do we take back the media, how do we empower our nation through images and content that celebrate us? The national budget must prioritise film programmes for secondary schools. Programmes must be developed to teach primary school students about cyberbullying, online sexual predators and how to use their phones to document the history of our communities and the memories of our elders. Technology should not widen social inequity but help us proclaim our independence.

On Carnival Tuesday, Man Crab used his technology to create a rainbow of colour that he spewed into the river. The result was both beautiful and ugly at the same time. The street theatre of the masquerade ebbs and flows, challenging us to demand more of our leaders and ourselves. Sixty years ago, we were able to sit back and observe our first birthday unfolding before us. Today, we do not have that luxury. The fight for self-determination is still critical, as we aim to achieve the potential we felt on that first independence night.

As Man Crab moved off stage, red blood symbolically flowed from his gutted stomach. As the mas disappeared from view, the crowd cheered. They understood – our journey to nationhood has often been bloody, but true independence is worth the fight.

Dara E Healy is a performance artist, communications specialist and founder of the NGO, the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN