Lessons From ‘Last Lap’ (D.V.-Editirial_Mirror 20.07.2013) The events and street revellery of Carnival 2013 – at least in the City of Castries -- are over. But the real carnival of everyday life, such as the masquerading, ‘whining (of the waist and mouth)’, abandon, posturing, gimmickry, acting, double meaning, jumping to the tune of others, etc – will continue. Why do we seem to promote one fixed period of the year for carnival, and then the day after ‘last lap’ jump-up we hear of other carnivals being advertised in towns and villages? Who is in charge of carnival in St. Lucia? Are we ever going to see a tight national carnival calendar with strong central control? The answer begins with adequate planning of a calendar of activities that runs from community carnivals and culminates in a grand national event in the capital, or whichever part of the country chosen by the central authority. That is why the tradition of ‘tewe vaval’ – the symbolic destroying and burial of the ghost of carnival the Wednesday after – was so meaningful. There must be a beginning and an end to carnival, following which the people move on to something else. One of the downsides of St. Lucian carnival is its modernization. We have so ignored or cast away certain traditions that we cannot cope with the demands of change. We are reminded often enough that carnival has a sentimental history, shaped by struggle, liberation and fusion of cultures, yet these factors are scarcely upheld in song, costume portrayals and public decorum. One gets the impressions that there is very little harmony between the purpose of the individual reveler and the band or band leader. This gives rise to issues of organization and order during the season, and particularly during the carnival street theatre and parades. You know that a band is not really a band when some revelers cannot name their section. If you don’t know your section, how can you stay in it? That is why Invader’s 2010 calypso gem, ‘Say In Your Section’, will continue to remain relevant. With so much emphasis on eating, drinking and ‘whining’ their money’s worth, the artistic value of carnival is lost in the ‘get on’ and ‘mash up’ sub-culture. Despite the claims of songwriters and performers to the contrary, the response to all this ‘kick up’, and ‘tear it up’ and ‘mash up’ has impacted on the pageantry of the carnival parade. There is no dramatic and artistic value in masqueraders with one leg in the air sticking onto each other in clusters when they are supposed to be expressing the meaning of their costumes to the judges and public. Modernization and individualism in the ‘mass’ has all but destroyed the tradition of ‘last lap’ revelry. For the information of the younger people, ‘last lap’ jumping is not for band members only. It is not a practice of exclusion. In fact, it is the final stage of the street revelry, after the judging -- when masqueraders (band subscribers) begin to shed their head pieces and discard their standards. That is when band members meet everybody else – a scene captured by calypsonian, The Shadow, in his memorable tune, “I come out to play.” Today the real ‘last lap’ can only be done at the risk of arrest. Bandleaders and revelers openly call for more protection against band invaders, even at what is supposed to be last lap. How can there be equality and peace in this country with such selfishness, even in the festival that is supposed to unite rich and poor. So the carnival continues. After the ‘jump-up’ on Monday and Tuesday, the carnival entered the stage of ‘self-congratulation and blame’ – a stage in which various stakeholders declare that a performance or an event could have been more successful were it not for the shortcoming of somebody or something else. This is a recurring, if not established feature of our carnival. The intention, it seems, is to hide failures, cast blame and vent personal and administrative conflicts, rather than pursue improvement. That is why the complaints, comments and proposals seem very similar from year to year.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 19:27:04 +0000
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