“[…] In the midst of the packed atmosphere, the unmistakable sound of a leather whip cracks with fury amongst the crowd like a bolt of lightning across a darkened sky. Spectators carefully inch away though against their better instincts—they wish to lean closer, eager for a more desirable view. “Younger …
Read More »Write Start (16-18): Malique Auguste foresees a dour Carnival where masqueraders are ‘lonely together’
“[…] It’s Carnival Monday, 2022, and reluctantly a gloomy mass of people trickle down the street. Post-covid Carnival and barely anyone marches along the avenue because most are too concerned with catching the still present disease, except of course for those vagrants that have nowhere else to be. “Due to …
Read More »Write Start (16-18): Aastha Kumar sees designer masks and condensed parade in post-pandemic Carnival
“[…] A ‘no mask, no mas’ policy should be adopted with costume designers incorporating this aspect of PPE into costume designs. “[…] The parade of the bands should be condensed in to one day at one venue to limit the risk of infection…” Seventeen-year-old San Fernando Government Secondary student Aastha …
Read More »Write Start (16-18): Malika Coutain thinks Carnival offers great test of T&T’s ability to function in pandemic
“[…] A safe Carnival also looks like one in which a potent communication and public engagement strategy for how to navigate a post-Covid world in a festival environment is rolled out, so that everyone who participates is aware of their responsibilities. “The next Carnival looks like one in which the …
Read More »Write Start (16-18): Alicia Dipchan wonders if bickering Trinbagonians will get Carnival off virtual life support
“[…] In an effort to keep the Carnival spirit alive, people have been sharing their own versions of extempo songs on Instagram and posting their DIY carnival costumes on Facebook. “[…] There have been arguments that vaccinated persons should be allowed to participate in Carnival celebrations. However, these arguments are …
Read More »Write Start (16-18): A pandemic Carnival; what could go wrong? Kadar Mohammed offers a suggestion
“[…] Connecting with people once again and dancing in unison with strangers, drinking their rum and revelling in the fact that they were finally free to enjoy themselves in the way they truly wanted to for way too long. “Lockdown is finally over and the fun has just begun, or …
Read More »Write Start (16-18): Sade Hinkson foresees a dystopian T&T, when Carnival is everyone’s dream
“[…] Dr Keith Rowley previously promised, however, that once a majority of the population was vaccinated, only the protected would be allowed to celebrate this colourful festival. This brought about protests, of course. “[…] Now here he was, in front of the cameras once again. All the conditions had been …
Read More »Write Start (16-18): Brace for bacchanal! Kyla-Marie Singh sees protests and price spikes in Carnival 2022
“[…] I do think that there would be a lot of controversy specifically from ‘anti-vaxxers’ about non-vaccinated persons not being able to partake in these festivities—and this might cause a problem in society at that appointed time. “[…] There would possibly a price increase in all areas and industries that …
Read More »Write Start (16-18): Jab before ‘jab jab’; Tsai-Ann Lewis says vaccination cards, not rags, will dominate Carnival 2022
“[…] Carnival will most definitely be for those who are vaccinated, as most things have or are becoming. “[…] Before the event formally begins, persons will need to wear their Covid-19 vaccination cards and a form of identification around their necks to ensure that they are permitted to partake in …
Read More »Write Start (16-18): ‘Health before jollification’; Ogechi Uche Nweze imagines a socially distanced Carnival 2022
“[…] The first change that comes to mind is the full-on dancing on the streets. It is the norm for people to gyrate on each other, sweaty bodies glistening under the sun as they move and sway like branches in the wind to the beat of hypnotising soca music, throwing …
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