Trinbago Mas’ and Eye
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| We see and we are seen. Vision is often just the beginning of so much human interaction. |
“WITHOUT SIGHT there
is no loving Carnival. Without vision Carnival is only noise and people bumping
into you.”
Words
from a friend years ago; and I, with my love of beauty and my utter abhorrence
of both noise and crowds, surely agreed.
I
don’t agree any more.
To
hear tell: “Carnival is woman.” And: “Carnival is bacchanal!” Also: “Carnival
is mas' (Definition of "mas").” Odd, I seldom hear said that Carnival
is more than one thing at any given time. It’s as though Carnival matters to
people only at the level of their own enjoyment.
Perhaps
to remain somewhat removed from it is the best way to bring all the wonders of
the festival to light. Then there is no single aspect that so thrills your
heart you become blinded to the rest.
My
issue with the cited opening sentiment of my compere has to do
with the fact he was referring to "sight" in the purely physical
sense (pun acknowledged) of the word.
Balance & desire
Of
all the senses, sight may be the one most used in non-literal ways: I
see the heart of the matter. She saw it in her mind’s eye. He could see the
future in his baby’s smile. We clearly do not believe that all seeing
is done with the eyes.
Thus,
seeing the beauty of Carnival is no mere issue of I-have-eyes-so-I-can-see, but
more a question of “Those who have eyes, let them see.” It is about wanting to
see: about purpose and meaning, enlightenment and depth, opening up and being
balanced. It is about really really loving.
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| A man of light and a horned devil share a moment of caring. Carnival is rife with powerful, positive symbolism. Piccadilly Street, Port-of-Spain, 2019. ALL PHOTOS BY Jhaye-Q |
Let
us look at the physical non-seeing for a spell, though. Even then, Carnival
enjoyment is given over to great potential. As a “danceophile” myself, first on
the list is the freedom to “break-way!” I see people moving to the beats in
wheelchairs, so why not the visually-impaired?
I
took the following photo in a Sailor Band Carnival 2019. Every time I
looked at it I felt deeply touched by how intimate and gentle the couple
appeared. The man’s posture seemed extra attentive; while the woman had an
oddly focused, almost visionary gaze.
It
was only very recently I realised the woman held a cane used by the sightless.
Further, the earpiece she wore looked designed to modulate the sounds
coming in to her surely sensitive hearing. But there she was.
Tell
her she can’t enjoy Carnival!
I’ve often wondered why the Trinidad and Tobago government, rather than training visually-impaired citizens to weave baskets, does not instead teach them Carnival arts like wire-bending, beading, fabric-forms construction, etc. Then mas’ costume producers will have a ready pool of Carnival craft workers to give jobs to when the need arises. Which it does ... EVERY YEAR and month’s in advance.
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| Sharing is caring, right! Creative people with a vision keep letting the world into what they love. |
Still,
it is wonderful to see! I have always loved seeing masqueraders, from the
scariest Blue Devil to the most opulent King of the Band, and everything
forging links in between.
I
equally love helping the world see what I see in my country. So stay tuned, though the season is over for this year, here there’s more Carnival 2020 to come.
“Mama this is mas’!”
Shine on
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| "He doth bestride the narrow world ..." King from the band Moko Somokow: Palace of the Peacock, winner of the Mini Band category, Carnival 2019 |
The photos here are
not available for use without permission (but if you are the subject of the photo, you get a bligh). However, for free, downloadable
images of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2020 & 2019, touch the link: Jhaye-Q Trinbago photography
To access my past
newspaper columns, hit the link: The Jhaye-Q Brew Archive
