Dexter Kahn reflects on 42 years of culture, Notting Hill carnival

BAVINA SOOKDEO

“I want my people from around the world to visit (Trinidad and Tobago) and support their culture during Carnival time. We should be taking money into our country. Do not stay away.”

This is the message masman Dexter Kahn has for TT citizens across the world.

At 81, Kahn is finally stepping away from mas after a vibrant and influential career spanning over four decades. His band, Cocoyea London, has been a staple at the Notting Hill carnival in London for over 28 years, representing TT's culture.

Born in Belmont, Kahn grew up on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, with his grandmother. He attended the Progressive Primary School which was on Henry Street, and then Rosary Boys’ on Charlotte Street.

In an interview done via WhatsApp, he fondly recalled his early days in Trinidad where he spent his youth following Starland, a steelband from St Vincent Street, Port of Spain, where he met some other boys his age. There he developed a deep love for both pan and mas.

“That was life…in the panyard liming around there when I was 14 and 15 years old. In those days we had historical mas – from a book. Those designers used pen and paper and created from their minds – they didn’t have modelling etcetera.

"Fortunately, I grew up with good guys – one of them just passed and may he rest in peace – Roy Cape – at 15 years old he came from the orphanage to lime with us.”

At 19, Kahn left Trinidad and made his way to London in 1961, reuniting with his father who was living there.

“Leaving Trinidad to come to London was an experience – a very big experience. It was an opportunity for me to learn something new and go to college.”

He studied motor mechanics at the London Polytechnic Institution but later moved on to become a proprietor of two gas stations, leaving behind the “greasy” world of motor mechanics.

Despite his professional ventures, it was Carnival and mas that continued to call him.

“I came here to get back something small from what they were taking out of my country in the colonial days.”

Kahn’s journey into Carnival started in the 1980s, first as a supporter of Metronomes Steelband, but his life changed dramatically when he crossed paths with renowned mas designer Peter Minshall, who was seeking to introduce a band to the Notting Hill Carnival.

“Minshall inspired me,” Kahn recalled.

He travelled to Trinidad when Minshall left London, and through him, Kahn met theatrical designer Nikki Lyons.

“I met Nikki, an Englishwoman who was doing a lot of props for Peter's band," Kahn said. "I told her what I had in mind, and she said, ‘I’ll see what I can do.’ We brought the first Cocoyea band in 1981.”

Kahn credits Lyons with introducing innovative materials to the mas scene.

"People don’t know this, but because Nikki was working in the film studios, she brought that thing they call 'ether-foam' to us –to Peter! We never had that access, but she did. When people talk about fibreglass rods and netting, it was Nikki who brought them to Peter in Trinidad.”

As to why he named the band Cocoyea, Kahn explained, “I wanted a Trinidadian name, and I went to a play where I saw a cocoyea broom in the corner. I always liked cocoyea brooms so I told my wife, 'That is the name of the band' – something all Trinis can identify with.”

When Lyons left Cocoyea, Kahn’s childhood friend, the late Wayne Berkeley, one of this country’s top mas men, designed Cocoyea for 15 years.

“We were friends from the age of five, and I am so proud of that.”

For him, mas wasn’t just about the costumes; it was about preserving and promoting a cultural legacy. He laments the shift towards minimalism in today’s mas, with more focus on bikinis and beads.

“All I want is for Trinidad to carry on with our structured mas which is the individuals and kings and queens. I am not objecting to the nakedness because that is what the youths want, but we should have a bit of culture somewhere in there to say ‘yes, this is a Trinidad and Tobago thing.’”

One of his proudest achievements has been mentoring young designers, giving them opportunities to shine.

“There are a lot of youngsters in the UK who are excellent designers. My aim was to get young designers to collaborate with Cocoyea. I gave them my blessings because they can only spread their wings.”

There is no doubt that taking mas to London came with its own set of challenges. From promoting TT's culture abroad to navigating logistical issues, Kahn faced it all. He remembers not only the struggles with mas but his efforts to uplift calypso in London. For a decade, Kahn and his friend, Michael La Rose, organised Talk Yuh Talk/D Kaiso Lime, a platform for calypsonians in the UK to share their art.

Kahn’s deep commitment to Trini culture seems to have been inherited from his father, Harold Johnny Kahn, whom he described as “one of the first guys to put a calypso tent in Trinidad.”

Kahn said his father played a pivotal role in fighting against copyright infringement when Columbia Records used Lord Invader’s song Rum and Coca-Cola, without proper credit.

“It made him bankrupt, but he won the case,” Kahn said with pride, reflecting on his father’s determination to defend the rights of calypsonians.

As Kahn steps away from leading Cocoyea, he is content with his decision.

“I feel good. Everything has to grow,” he said.

He sees the future of mas in the hands of young designers and is eager to mentor and offer advice whenever needed.