St. Lucia Star 

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Maybe there was divine reasoning in the heavy showers which almost washed away the finale of Saint Lucia’s Carnival 2009, on Monday July 20 and Tuesday July 21. Maybe just maybe, it was a lesson taught, that a seed not properly grounded in fertile soil or rooted in anything, can easily be washed away. Then again maybe it was a spiritual cleansing of sorts too. Or could it simply be that those upstairs thought that there was so much uninspiring and uninformed commentary coming from those television commentators that it was best that they be washed away.

Carnival 2009 did not have a pleasant scent and was more like a cheap bottle of imitation perfume bought on Canal Street. But truth be told some of the problems are perennial, like the lack of venues and facilities and even the toilet conditions at the Mindoo Phillip Park, which we couldn’t be serious about when we invite persons like Joey and his crew from CBS here. Then, we are still struggling to get it right with sound and starting shows on time.

Sure there were a few good events this year—Groovy Soca, Inter-commercial house calypso, junior carnival and calypso semi-finals. Added to that some of the non-CDF events helped put a spark in the carnival engine like Colour Me Red, Wet Fete, Cooler Fete, NG Soca Stage launch party and Outrageous-Sexy in Black. But coming down to the wire, Carnival experienced an anti-climax for me, especially when it came down to the two day parade when I heard the seemingly rehearsed lines (again) from at least four of the “party band” leaders about “our revelers are not in a regiment, we have no sections . . . blah, blah, blah.”

And that is precisely what contributed in my mind to a waste of time by the spectators and visitors we are trying to attract to witness anything spectacular on the road come carnival Monday and Tuesday. I have suggested to some of those bands, that they are part of a national event, and out of respect for that, at least portray some semblance of a display between the Vigie Playing field and the Castries market, for the purpose of their audience and the cameras. But again what we saw was a bouyon which only the revelers enjoyed and I am sure they did.

So what’s the point of having the media, judges, visitors and the public there? Maybe those new bands, who believe it is their time, should have their own up-town carnival, splitting the event as happened in Jamaica and Miami a few years ago. Do I want to see this happen? Not really. but I sure do think that it is time for good sense and reasoning to prevail over selfish undertakings. And one more thing, I do think we need a stage for the revelers to “display their colours” on and it is time to bring that aspect back to the carnival. Although I honestly do not think we need a stage to display the new trend of sticking out butts and tongues for cameras. Where did that come from anyway?

Carnival 2009 had a lackluster launch on June 1, and from there on I kept on hoping, as someone who really loves this great spectacle and have participated in several aspects of it, that it would get better. But sadly it did not! This year’s event has been given an average rating by the revelers, the man on the street and Joe Public. Their reasons vary; from poor organization of events to the lack of quality music. Then there are those who blame the dismal season on the global economic meltdown and the rise in criminal activity. But I think it is all of the above and more, and at the risk of being labeled political, I would add that with less than inspiring leadership in all major sectors of Fair Helen, there appears to be a wind of apathy and distress blowing across the land. And not even carnival was enough to uplift many of those spirits.

As great as Saint Lucia’s carnival has undoubtedly been over the last few years, it has turned into a selfish beast, with no place to rest its head, seemingly careless and without reasoning as to whom or what it devours. Therefore the beauty is being overshadowed even in the creativity and music, by those who really have no love for it and care less about its history and meaning.

Some refer to West Indian type carnivals as the greatest show on earth or the greatest cultural showpiece, an event which lasts for weeks culminating in thousands of revelers chipping, prancing, waving and these days bending down to the ground in carnival bands, led by a music truck as the pied piper. It is one of the great Caribbean experiences and has been for decades.

The word Carnival itself is conflicted, but many historians agree that it came out of ‘carne vale’, meaning ‘farewell to the flesh” and was traditionally a festival held before Lent. Steeped in Catholic origin, but grounded in African and French roots with its rituals and mask parades, both the religious roots and cultural traditions are fast disappearing. although many carnivals are still staged as pre-lent events culminating on Mardi Gras or on Mercredi des Cendres (Ash Wednesday), (Trinidad, Dominica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Brazil). However even a few of those not traditionally held before lent have their origins tied to Africa, slavery and emancipation as with Crop Over in Barbados and the zafra in Cuba.

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CDF Director Kennedy ‘Boots’ Samuel last year spoke about returning ‘meaning’ to Carnival. But has he already sent things down the wrong path?

In 1999, Saint Lucia’s carnival was shifted from a pre-Lent event to July to help the island reap some economic benefits through tourism and to help foster cultural exchanges with countries like Trinidad which had well established pre-Lent carnivals. Those who countered the move argued that it would lose its traditions and sense of purpose. Today both arguments are proving right. Whilst the event has grown and interest from the region and the world has increased, it is fast loosing any sort of identity with no raison d’être behind the festival.

At the end of last year’s Carnival, I spoke with Kennedy “Boots” Samuels, who then headed the Folk Research Center, about this apparent loss of an identity for our Carnival. Here is what he said: “The basic thing is that carnival was changed on the spot and yes whilst there were reasons for that change; more tourists, more marketing and that it would not clash with Trinidad, I think that the fundamental meaning of carnival, something that the whole community can latch onto, might have been overlooked. It is now a whole different ball game.

With a decision to change the date, the whole cultural significance was snatched up and uprooted. The question for us now is what do we do to sustain this event for generations and how do we anchor this festival to have meaning for us?”

One year later and Samuels is now the one in charge of the Cultural Development Foundation. At a press briefing on Wednesday, he admitted that there continues to be challenges and all sectors will be immediately consulted with the intention of reviewing this year’s event and charting the way forward. “We will be bringing all sectors together next week for a process of review which will also start the process for carnival 2010,” Samuels says, noting that the CDF will undertake the establishment of a full policy which will guide carnival for many years to come.

But why have there been no checks and balances where carnival is concerned even with growing interest by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board? Has the Chamber of Commerce initiated any surveys in the past years to establish a pattern of spending during this season? Has the Saint Lucia Tourist board been doing any surveys to quantify visitor arrival and spending? And has the CDF itself been doing any research, analysis and surveys which can be contained in a published report each year as a way of reviewing each event and charting the way forward? And why was there no national policy on carnival and if there isn’t, then when will it be decide to properly replant this carnival tree which in one fell swoop we uprooted from February and have replanted in July? I am afraid that without the nurturing, proper fertilizer and pruning of the weeds and brambles attacking it, this carnival that so many of us claim to love will simply wither away, no ifs ands or butts.