Balancing money and our culture

Carnival Origins

Dara E Healy

“Some of them competed at the Trinidad Calypso and Musicians Advertising Association tent in Nelson Street late in January (1939), in a competition organised by the Carnival Improvement Committee…Ras Kassa won the first prize of $10 for Unemployment, Invader was second with Education and received $5, while Growler earned the third prize of $2.50 with Slum Clearance.”

– Gordon Rohlehr, Calypso & Society in Pre-Independence Trinidad

FOR calypsonians like Atilla, Lion, Pretender, Growler and others, the millions of dollars in prize money associated with calypso, soca and other competitions today would be simply unfathomable. However, even back then artists recognised that remuneration for artists was an issue. Atilla described the prizes of $20, $15 and $10 for the Calypso King contest as “unattractive.”

While artists do not need financial incentives to create, they do have a right to a reasonable quality of life. Does sponsorship drive innovation and development, or are we allowing finance to determine the direction of our culture?

In 1950, the Carnival Queen competition was viewed as an opportunity to further sanitise Carnival and move it away from the "vulgarity" of “salacious calypsoes, certain of the traditional old masks, wining, or the ever incipient violence that at the time typified the steelbands.”

In the early days, entrants were required to look a particular way, essentially, with light coloured hair, skin and eyes. Prizes included a trip to Barbados (two weeks, for two people), replaced in 1951 by a trip to Canada. Yet, in that period, a grant of $1,000 to assist bandleaders with the rising costs of making mas was withdrawn.

As money became a central issue, Rohlehr notes that the steelbands were left on the outside of the conversation. By 1957, anger among calypsonians over imbalances in prizes resulted in a boycott of the calypso competition by Mighty Sparrow. He had been crowned Calypso King the year before; his prize money – $25.

It seems the final straw was the car that was now included in the prizes for the Carnival Queen. Sparrow sang, “The calypsonians with the talent/Hardly getting a cent/I think it’s overbearing/So now give me a hearing/Calypso is the root of Carnival/Steelband is the foot of Carnival/Without calypso, no road march could beat/Without steelband, I’ll bet you, you don’t move your feet.”

It is possible to see a similar trend of prize money influencing the direction of the masquerade. In the 1900s, the middle and upper classes began to return to the streets, but they were determined that Carnival should flow based on their vision of how it should be managed.

Hollis Liverpool identifies a move towards "pretty mas" around the 1930s, with the intention of moving it away from more traditional forms of mas and masking created by Africans and other ordinary citizens.

Austin Nolte, a member of the "coloured" middle class, theorised that more people were drawn towards this new kind of masquerade, because of the “status that was given to prize-winners by the society, and the aesthetic joy the masquerades brought onlookers.”

As the more monied in society began to participate, businessmen recognised the potential for convincing masqueraders to advertise or display their products in return for, yes, prize money. Notably, this new approach did not include stickfighting or masquerades portraying “the authenticity of African or East Indian traditions.”

Sponsorship and other forms of funding are essential for the survival of the creative sector. The resurgence in interest and focus on the pan, calypso and other indigenous forms is appreciated and welcome. It is also encouraging to see more support for smaller, unsponsored steelbands, children’s masquerade and stickfighters.

But money without context will still not create greater equity. There must be rules of engagement, particularly when it comes to our traditional masquerades. Many are ancient, ritual-based forms of cultural expression with rich histories and a specific purpose. They are moulded in resistance and resilience, so it is crucial to respect their origins and find a balance between education and entertainment.

Businesses must be transparent when they send out calls for performers so that a decision can be made about whether or not to participate in promotions for appliances, alcohol or fried chicken. And compensation must be fair for long hours on set or in rehearsals.

As the lavway says, "Bonjay we want l’argan too" – Good lord, we want money too, but we culture not for sale.

Dara E Healy is a performing artist and founder of the Idakeda Group, a cultural organisation dedicated to empowering communities through the arts