Stage is set

IN THE END, though rhetoric was high, Tobago hardly reinvented the wheel when it came to carnival.

A few months ago, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine had said Tobago’s festival would not mirror Trinidad’s. The THA spoke grandly of a “Tobago-led carnival.”

But by the time the curtain came down on the much-anticipated event on Sunday, it was clear that while organisers hoped to enter the history books with something memorable, in the end what they achieved was more banal.

Last minuteness, unclear procurement practices, short-cuts around regulatory approvals, and vagueness when it came to $17 million in allocations – Tobago’s carnival was, despite Mr Augustine’s best hopes, the very embodiment of Trinidad’s, just on a smaller stage.

But it is worth repeating the exercise. And it is essential that authorities and stakeholders review how things went, to learn lessons for the future.

Say what you want about how the weekend unfolded, Tobago carnival is an idea whose time has come. In fact, it’s been long overdue.

The event is a natural enhancement of the island’s tourism offering. All Tobago’s competitors for tourism dollars have such festivals. The island itself has its own traditions which speak to its unique culture, a culture which provides fertile ground for a wide array of culture and creative expression. Much of that was missing over the weekend.

While some stakeholders have, citing a reported hotel occupancy rate of 85 per cent, deemed the event a resounding success, there is clearly room for improvement.

In fact, the hotel occupancy rate was arguably too low, given that it was the first real carnival since covid19. Additionally, many people would have attended the event just because it was being held for the first time. It is not clear whether the numbers will remain the same once the novelty wears off.

While the Prime Minister, citing covid19 concerns, opted to stay away, other national officials who ostensibly had no direct role in the events, like National Carnival Commission chairman Winston “Gypsy” Peters, turned up.

Both should recognise that it is in the interest of the entire country for Tobago to have a regular carnival event. Such an event will not only benefit Tobago’s tourism profile and economy, but l also Trinidad’s.

Far too often there is the complaint, from many cultural workers, about the superficial and seasonal nature of Carnival activities in this country. For instance, musicians routinely have cause to note how soca and calypso are not played as often once Carnival is over.

But by having two carnivals annually, the focus can shift away, potentially, from unproductive cycles to nourishing the creativity we have here on our own soil, in both Tobago and Trinidad.