Out of the ashes
Artist Jackie Hinkson keeps a clean scene at his outdoor Carnival-themed exhibition. -
Carnival 2021 was cancelled, but in many ways it was a wonderful Carnival. Necessity is the mother of invention, truly, and those whose livelihoods rely upon it and those whose sanity depends upon it found creative and innovative ways to make Carnival happen. Congratulations to them for finding the crease, Kees, Farmer Nappy, Yuma and many more, all over the country.
The deterioration of the official annual Carnival has been long evident to everyone who is not a masquerader. The idea of “Carnival as spectacle” died some time ago. There is very little to engage the bystander or the dwindling crowd sitting in the stands and even worse, those watching at home. As television standards plummeted, the costumes shrank and the glitter grew brighter, it became a source of depression to witness what had been lost. Apart from pan, even endlessly playing a single tune for weeks, the only way to enjoy Carnival now is to be in a band, which is not possible for many.