Culture Matters

DARA E HEALY

''…Aldrick, let us see you dance the dragon' and he would say, 'No. You can't see me dance that dance; that is a secret.' And they would urge him again…and he would see the little children dancing and looking at him for his admiration, for they knew that he was the king dragon, and he knew all the moves of the dragon dance, and he would say, 'Okay! Okay! Okay! pointing to one of the children, 'let me see how good you is.''

- Earl Lovelace, Dragon Can't Dance

WE ARE almost there. Soon we will step into the two days that impact our lives for most of the year. The pageantry, the glitz and glamour feature as prominently as the stress, worry and disappointment. For two days, there will be less analysis, more revelry as we summon the originators of the mas to bear witness.

Monday. In the cool morning air, we will lean back our heads, close our eyes and open our mouths to drink in the essence of our festival. Jouvay, J'Ouvert, the beginning, where we cleanse ourselves in the mud and the music and the passion for life. All else will recede, at least for a time.

On Tuesday, the big bands will take over, shiny and gleaming in the sun, as thousands blissfully chip, far away from East Dry River where our Carnival story is rooted. Past the small vendors and spaces once filled with little girls like me, who gazed through the railings in awe at masqueraders dancing in joyous escape.

Absence has made us think more deeply about our mas, about our history and rituals. Carnival practitioners are exploring traditional characters as they try to understand the relevance of these portrayals to current times. There is active participation by young people in competitions from pan to calypso and soca. As someone involved in community-based culture, this is heartening.

Sadly, the conversation about the traditional aspects our mas remains at a basic level of understanding. In many ways, we see them as entertainment. Baby doll is conceived primarily as someone trying to extort money from men, rather than a complex characterisation of a young woman fighting to reclaim her power.

Midnight robber is still not represented as a modern-day griot or storyteller. This is perhaps one of the most misunderstood characters, as we are largely unaware of its connection to African spirituality through the broad-brimmed hat with fringes or to South African dance with the spins and whistle.

And few of us are aware of the intertwining of indigenous and African cultures to create, for instance, the unique language of the Black Indian masquerade.

This past week, we held workshops, storytelling and other Carnival-related activities at the National Library in Port of Spain. During a soca dance session with children, Lord Kitchener's trademark move was incorporated into the choreography. When I randomly asked who is Kitchener, the faces of all the children aged five-12 were bl