Berkeley mas re-enters Carnival with Tradition Reimagined

The Berkeley name will be re-entering the Carnival arena with the launch of Berkeley Carnival Revolution, headed by Cherisse Berkeley, niece of renowned masman the late Wayne Berkeley. She said the theme of the band will be Tradition Reimagined.

Wayne Berkeley died in 2011 at the age of 70. He holds the records for the most Band of the Year titles, having won ten, and for Carnival Queen, having been awarded 12. In 1974 he received a Humming Bird Medal Gold for Carnival Development.

Berkeley said the inspiration behind the band was paying homage to her ancestors, as since she was a child she had been fascinated by the works of art produced by her uncle, along with his meticulous attention to detail.

“Being from a family that has lived and continues to live in Belmont for over 150 years, with an uncle who still holds the most Band of the Year and Carnival Queen titles, I found it a fitting tribute to the legacy that has come before me. I originally thought of the name in 2009 before my uncle's death, after his retirement from Carnival design and production. At the time of the initial idea I thought it would have been a wonderful experience to introduce a new generation of the Berkeley genes into the local Carnival scene.

“I anticipated having my uncle as a mentor, but unfortunately as his health began to further decline, I realised that was not going to be a reality. In 2011 when he died, I promised myself and my family to preserve his legacy and make use of the talents both innate and acquired.”

Berkeley described her upbringing in Carnival production as thorough, as she began participating in the festival at the age of one. Her first costume was an individual costume entitled Inchworm designed by Wayne Berkeley, and she placed first in her category.

“In 1999, my father, Cletus Berkeley, along with my other uncle, Gary Tagallie (my maternal aunt's husband), and a family friend Roland Hosein decided to produce a kiddies band out of Chaguanas called Tagallie and Associates. At that time it was the only kiddies band in Chaguanas. After school I would accompany my father to the mas camp where I would do my homework and help to produce costumes for the band. I also played in the band from its start until 2005. In 2004 when the band produced individual king and queen costumes, I was the queen and Stefan Hosein was the King. The band's final year was 2007.”

She said while at school her vacations were mostly spent with her uncle Wayne at the family’s generational home in Belmont, especially after his second stroke.

“He was almost always in production mode and I was eager to learn and help. Despite having a series of strokes he was determined to continue his art. He lost functionality of his right hand after his first stroke in 2000 and trained himself to design using his left hand. His determination fascinated and inspired me. Eventually when I started playing adult/big band mas in Port of Spain I started doing alterations to my costume, a personal tradition that I still continue. On occasion I accept requests from friends and family to alter their costumes/create custom head pieces, collars and backpacks.

“My first hands on experience with ole mas was in 2008 with a family friend's J’Ouvert band, Junabo, also out of Chaguanas. I recall Phillip (Junior) Jordan putting on an ole mas skit just as the sun was coming up before the band crossed the stage on Chaguanas main road. I loved the way social and political issues were brought to the forefront during a time (Carnival) where not much was taken seriously.”

She began bringing out ole mas bands in 2017 when baby doll performer and gender activist Amanda McIntyre invited her to collaborate in the production of an ole mas band for the Bocas Lit Fest Ole Mas competition. The small band placed first.

“In 2018, I made a snap decision the day before the Bocas Lit Fest competition to bring out a band of five traditional and folklore mas characters: midnight robber, burrokeet, La Diablesse, a priest, jamette and dame Lorraine. Despite having very little time and resources the band placed fourth, and I was truly surprised with our placement given the short preparation time. I was thankful for my cousin Brandon Berkeley's assistance in the overnight production of costumes.”

The following year, she brought out a band of eight characters with the help of friend Kairaba Cabrera. These were the midday robber, bat, jamette, two burrokeets, imp, sailor, and a new character The Bass Man in tribute to Shadow. This band placed third.

“After a satisfactory success rate over three years at Bocas Lit Fest, I had intentions of competing at the national level in 2021. Unfortunately the covid19 pandemic had much different plans for all of us.”

Her 2023 presentation will consist of a bat, midnight robber, cow mas, burrokeeet, devils/jab molassie, dame Lorraine, and sailor, with less than ten individual characters/costumes.

She explained that the band incorporates both ole mas satirical social protest elements and traditional characters.

“While ole mas includes satirical protest, its production originates from the (re)use or up-cycling of everyday items one would find around the house typically destined for the trash. It was the poor-man's mas if you will. Sustainability means a lot to me and so from 2018 I began using up-cycled materials to create my traditional mas costumes.”

Berkeley made a national call for items starting at the beginning of January, which reached almost 1,000 people in the first 12 hours.

“I asked for wire/wire hangers, newspapers, cardboard, string, fabric, string and paint. The response was better than I could have anticipated. Within the first day of collection we already had a room halfway filled with cardboard and other paper products. My main hurdle was collecting all of these donations from various parts of the island. I’ve had to stop asking for donations of string/twine, cardboard or fabric, but welcome wire/wire hangers, beads/gems/sequins, and paints.”

Berkeley said the theme Tradition Reimagined is in tribute to a few people who have passed that have been monumental to her career and experience in/with Carnival.

“First and foremost, my uncle Wayne Berkeley who gave me the foundation upon which I am building; my friend Varoon Beetan and my social justice mentor Colin Robinson who both played together in my Bocas Lit Fest bands; and Philip (Junior) Jordan, family friend and bandleader of Junabo J'Ouvert who also taught me the art of flag-waving.”

Berkeley Carnival Revolution can be found on Facebook. For more information, call 333-1473 or e-mail berkeleycarnivalrevolution@gmail.com.