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Having registered for the Foundation course Caribbean Civilization we all were anxious yet excited to see what challenges we were about to face, despite there being different opinions on what the course would  be like. The course brought with it some pain full insights about our ancestors and what they had to endure in order for us to become free men and women in today’s society, it has also enlightened us how the different cultures, religion and beliefs came into being.

Here are our individual evaluations about the course:

Yvette Jordan-Dottin

Before I started the course, I didn’t know what to expect but after it began, I then realized it was very similar to history classes which I did at school for which I still have a vague memory.  I was looking forward to the classes on Mondays, but then I was glad they were cancelled and I did not have to request the additional time from work since I already have to request time for five additional courses.

Finding the time to read the book gave some challenges even though I had a few weeks to read it but I persevered and was able to complete it within the specified time. The plenaries were difficult to hear at times but then I was able to follow along with the tutorials.

I now have greater appreciation for our history when I learnt of the hardships and trials our fore-parents experienced. Their struggles and the experiences, beginning with the 3 to 4 month travel to the Caribbean and being treated as cargo, the slave trade, separation from families, the plantation system, cruel treatment, the exploitation by whites, all of which helped to mold the Caribbean to what it is today. Much of which I never really focused on and previously took for granted.

The lessons of the history and make-up of the Caribbean and the diversity of the Caribbean were also informative and refreshed my memory of some of the things I learnt a long time ago. I also learnt some new things in the course which I didn’t know before such as the make-up of the Bahamas.

Overall the course was interesting and worthwhile and should be introduced to everyone entering the university.

Roberta Alleyne

After registering for this course, I was initially excited to learn more about my history as a person from the Caribbean and to also learn more about all the different cultures and influence that would have molded the Caribbean society into what it stands as today. I was looking forward to this learning experience and opportunity since the opportunity was not previously available to me while I was at school, so I welcomed this opportunity to study the history of our Caribbean.

At the start of the semester after a couple of the face to face lectures I started to gain an understanding of Caribbean ancestors and the course was off to a good start. Unfortunately, the course did not continue along this streak, after the cancellation of the face to face lectures and the implementation of the use of Blackboard and online lectures the course started on a downward spiral. The use of the Blackboard application to facilitate the lectures created problems such as not being able to listen, follow or understand anything that was being thought in the lectures, causing difficulties to interpret the information that was being put forth. Along with the difficulties associated with the Blackboard application, other difficulties came with the three assignments that were to be completed by the students. These assignment guidelines were very vague and persons including myself had problems trying to ascertain what exactly was to be done and even some tutors experienced this problem as well.

However, I would like to recommend the reinstatement of the face to face lectures to eliminate the issues of not being able to hear, follow and understand the lectures as well as clear and in-depth assignment guidelines. Nevertheless, I was still able to gain little insight and appreciation for the history, ancestors and different cultures that all make up the Caribbean.

Alisha Garraway

At the start of this course, I thought that we would be bound to read a bunch of history books and old time videos. To my surprise, FOUN 1101 started out as an exciting course.  In fact ,  The best part of the course was that it did not have a textbook but rather a book that focused on the various topic of Caribbean Civilization.Hence, I was ecstatic to see how the course would unfold.

Even though, the book was a little challenging at times to understand, it allowed us to critically think and analyze. I loved the stories because I learnt about different Caribbean Countries that I did not know about. Dr. John Campbell and the other lecturers have broadened my knowledge. For instance, I did not know that whites were brought to work on the plantation before African slave. Second, that Indians that came as indentured servants had to sleep and live the same way as Africans. Another important information was that I was exposed to an in depth understanding of who Christopher Columbus really was. My favorite part of the course was learning about the different cultural diversity and how the cultures come to form the Caribbean.  I have also learned about the different aspects of the Caribbean such as cricket,  carnival and how they came to be. The lectures were very interesting. While I knew some of the information, I was always expose to something knew on the topic.

Hence, I could leave the course saying that I have learned key information that I could pass on to others. The course also allows me to have a greater appreciation of the Caribbean and its history.

Keisha Lovell

As a person who never did history at school, when I first signed up for this course I was under the impression that it would be a simple history lesson detailing how the Caribbean was formed, leading up to present day, with all the issues surrounding us whether they be Social, Religious, or International.

The first shock I received was to learn that the Caribbean is not only made up with the chain of islands along the Caribbean sea it encompasses other countries as well, also it was shocking to hear that Barbados is not among the chain of Islands along the Caribbean sea. We in the Caribbean are geographically linked to the countries of Central America, at any international conference that is how we are identified by persons.

What has really stayed with me is the trans-Atlantic slave trade, how Africans were made to suffer at the hands of their white masters, being torn away from their family, friends and native land just so the white man could make a profit, but in particular how women were treated as inferior human beings, to be used and discarded by the owners of plantation.

This course was refreshing, interesting and informative, it opened my eyes to the different  levels of exploitation between classes, races and genders that exist in the Caribbean, which unfortunately still continues in today’s society.

Justin Nurse

In the duration of this semester the course Caribbean Civilization has done three singles things in the benefit of my understanding and all the rest I considered as wasted time. To fully explain these aspects of this course I will describe how I have reflected on the work done and information taught during the semester.

The first thing that I consider useful in the course is the use of the padlet system. Although not much information and training on how to use system was taught, the mere fact that it was exposed to us as students as a way of sharing information in a new and alternative form can be considered something ever efficient. The second thing that I took into consideration as a benefit of this course is the assessments used to complete the course. The first being short story analysis which helped to establish the student ability to read, summarize and their understanding. This was useful for me because I think all aspects of learning are worthy experience to gain. The book report although every vague and confused due to the lack available assistance from tutor made it hard to complete but the idea wasn’t bad and it helped in my writing. Thirdly the last assignment deserves merit as it helps establishes to deeper understanding to others. The last thing that I found beneficial about this course is that allowed me to see how other understand, interpret and perceive the Caribbean.

Furthermore, all the rest of information provide was unless in my books. As having completed history, sociology and geography most of the information provided was basically to my regards was repetitive making it uneasy to deal with the sudden changes of key terms also views the tutors had. Not that the information was wrong, it just felt wrong. Furthermore the establishment of the method of teaching the course also seems to lack structure and a proper foundation therefore the current system although it is useful in term of assignments, it need better preparation and execution with regards to teaching.

Concluding

In the final analysis this course has made us appreciate our history as Caribbean people although there are issues that need to be resolved in order to facilitate the smooth running of the course for future students, it has proven to be informative and rewarding. We would like to extend many thanks to Dr. Campbell along with the tutorial teachers who have made this course enjoyable and insightful. ���s[��

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A brief video to highlight the international level of cricket played in the aribbean

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Cricket : West Indies v England 1989-90 - 1st Test Day-1 highlights

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Artifact 5 - Language  (Photo Courtesy of 

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Artifact 5 - Language  (Photo Courtesy of 

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Nowhere else in the world will one be able to experience various patois than in the Caribbean region. The Language is a mixture of African words and our colonizers' language. It is used by us Caribbean people to express ourselves in songs, poetry, wise sayings and movies. As is seen in the picture, Grandma is transmitting culture through wise sayings. However, In school, children are taught to speak our oppressors language and to leave our patois outside the classroom. Caribbean language are considered informal. The question is “what makes one language better than the other?”. Even in the workplace, Our Colonizer language is used. Another issue is bilingual refers to speaking more than one colonizer language. So, if one can speak the language of the neo- Indians and for instance English, he or she would not be considered bi-lingual. This is still the work of the oppressors evident in our community. Our patois is a unique way of communicating with each other. In fact, many tourists come to the various islands interested in learning it. (Photo Courtesy of Quotes Gram )

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Anansi is not Caribbean born but is one of the folklore that Caribbean people are familiar with. This tale originated in Ghana by the Ashanti people. It was transplanted from there to the Caribbean through slavery times. The enslaved people brought their stories with them to be passed on to generations to come.  It is often called “Nancy “in the Caribbean. He is a half human, half spider creature that is known for creating mischief.  These stories speak on rebellion, hope and triumph which mirrors the struggle of enslave Africans to survive slavery (Myths and Legends).  Folklores like Anansi are very important in the Caribbean as they help with the oral transmission of beliefs and traditions. If this story is not told at home , it is transmitted through the various English Language textbooks used in school. The publishing of these stories also generate income for the Caribbean.  (Photo Courtesy of Google Images- Anansi the Spider- Cover Page )

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Cricket is not Caribbean originated but Caribbean people are so talented that they have excel at it and made it their own. Hence when people think of Cricket, they think about the Caribbean. The present cricket is not what it is today.  Cricket was one of the techniques used in colonialism to instil obedience and respect as well as other values in an individual (Jaksa). Nonetheless, Cricket has been changed from a form of social control to social protest. It brings in revenue to the Caribbean and helps to promote sports tourism.  The Cricket Team also promotes a sense of unity and pride among its member.  Hence, Caribbean people never hesitate to watch a cricket match. (Photo Courtesy of "The New York Times")

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As seen in this picture, dreadlocks are worn by Caribbean people of all ages. It is mostly associated with Rastafarian. Not only is it a religion but also a culture. The child holds up the sign, “I’m not a Taliban, I’m just a Rastaman”. In 1974, Dominica had a 'Dread Act". This act stated that it was lawful to kill a person wearing dreadlocks. The act had also allowed Rastafarian to be arrested. Even though discrimination has mitigated, it is still a major issue (Antoine 8-11). Presently, wearing of dreads in certain workplace and school in the Caribbean is unacceptable.  This is a shame as many people outside the region, associate dreadlocks with Caribbean identity and culture. Yet our laws and people are discriminating against them. The “Dreadlocks Movement” has instilled an acceptance of natural hair among people of black descent. It allows them to be closer to their African roots. Similarly, the smoking of marijuana. Marijuana also known as Ganja, is one of the key substance used in the Rastafarian ritual. A prayer is made to Jah and the herb is smoked for reasoning and better view of the world.  This ritual came about in Jamaica in 1941 by the early Rasta teacher Leonard P. Howell. He grew the substance and discovered the benefits of it (Grant).  Marijuana is illegal and only one Caribbean Country has made a step towards decriminalizing it and that was Jamaica in 2015 (Ross). This is a perfect example of Counter Culture. As some have a different view about the marijuana culture. Jamaica should be the first to legalize it as they are well known for the Rastafarian culture.  If Rastafarian is a part of the Caribbean Identity and marijuana is associated with the culture, then all Caribbean islands should take the initiative to decriminalize or legalize. After all, this is an infringement on a person's right to practice his or her religion.  (Photo Courtesy of Pinterest )

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This picture best illustrates the role of Bob Marley in reggae music. Reggae is a much slower form than ska (BBC Radio 1 ). The lyrics relate to more positive themes such as love, faithfulness and hope (Mills). One also describe the genre as verbal history due to its reflection on colonialism and slavery evident in the lyrics (BBC ). Bob Marley and the Wailers through their various songs such as “I shot the sheriff” and “One love/” People Get Ready” has made reggae universal.  Bob Marley has traveled all over promoting his art exposing the Caribbean Culture to those who don't know it. Whenever one hears reggae music, they always associate it with the Caribbean. This is a part of our identity. Similarly, reggae is always associated with Bob Marley and vice versa. Many others have accepted the torch after Marley’s death such as Gregory Isaac, Tarrus Riley and Tanya Stephens. Reggae music has given rise to a new genre , Dancehall.  Reggae is a relaxing music while Dancehall is deemed to be more upbeat and often criticized for displaying women in a provocative manner. Many have said that Reggae is dead specifically to the younger generation due to the evolution and favouritism towards Dancehall music (Delahaye).  On the other hand, others believe that as the songs of bob Marley and others live on , Reggae Music will never die.   (Photo Courtesy of Overstock- Bob Marley album cover )

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"Enjoy the reggae sound of Bob Marley

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Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett. (FP)

ACHIEVING GENDER EQUALITY will help to address a number of fundamental problems that are plaguing the Caribbean.

This view was shared by Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, Steven Blackett, as he addressed the opening of the 7th Regional Men's Forum and the 4th Women's Conference, hosted by the Barbados District of Christian Union Church of the Caribbean, last Friday at the Dining Club, Newton, Christ Church.

Blackett stated that both men and women must work together to address the impacts of "gender-based exclusion". He believed that with gender equality, the Caribbean would see a decrease in a number of problems which affect individuals daily.

He continued: "Gender equality contributes to poverty reduction, as it will achieve higher levels of human capital for future generations and improve the development and effectiveness of public investments. Women and men need equal opportunities, resources and responsibilities in order to realise equality."

The Minister pointed out that in the English-speaking Caribbean, men were often viewed as protectors and decision makers, but some men were unable to live up to these standards and expectations.

"Research throughout the Caribbean has identified men as strong, breadwinner, protector, leader, decision maker, ruler of his world, controller, within the household and in public, as well as heterosexual and sexually successful. Consequently, we teach and transmit these qualities to our young men and boys through the schools, on the street, through the media, in our communities and in families.

"...Experience has taught us that no man can fully live up to this ideal, especially when men are placed into the reality of societies, whose foundations are shaken by the negative experiences of economic and global recession. Economic recessions have a tendency to exacerbate existing tensions between men and women, who are now being viewed as advancing faster than men and in some cases taking over from men, as some women have been able to transcend the patriarchal obstacles to their development," he suggested.

The Social Care Minister said that during the past 15 years, the CARICOM Secretariat has supported its member states in collecting and analysing data gathered from the perspective of gender equality. He stressed that in order for governments to truly gauge how gender equality would benefit their country, as well as to shape policies, they must continue to collect and analyse of socio-economic data on a regular and organised basis. (BGIS)

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Blackett: Achieving gender equality benefits the Caribbean

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ACHIEVING GENDER EQUALITY will help to address a number of fundamental problems that are plaguing the Caribbean. This view was shared by Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, Steven Blackett, as he addressed the opening of the 7th Regional Men's Forum and the 4th Women's Conference, hosted by the Barbados District of Christian Union Church of the Caribbean, last Friday at the Dining Club, Newton, Christ Church.

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No bonding of gender bodies yet? - Barbados Today

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We may all have our diverse opinions on the platform Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett used to express his disgust with the seemingly unending bickering between the Men's Educational Support Organization (MESA) and the National Organization of Women (NOW), but such debate must not be allowed to cloud the essential issue of the "antagonistic ...

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When one thinks of sex and gender, one normally perceives this to mean the same, but there is a distinction between sex and gender. There is a difference between a person physical identity and the way they choose to carry themselves.

A person’s sex is biologically determined at birth. Sex refers to whether a person is born with the male reproductive system or the female reproductive system and the presence of certain hormones.  Whereas gender refers to the way you socialize based on one’s personal identification and is often determined by society or the role you taken after birth. These characteristics are shaped by our parents, school, religion, education, media and our peer groups. Our gendered perception affects how we are viewed by society.

Gender beliefs influence various aspects of our lives including dress, family structure, educational and employment opportunities. Previously, women were excluded and barred from certain institutions with the men being allowed certain jobs while women were forced to do menial jobs.

Men are expected to portray dominance which is characterized by certain factors such as strength and ability while women are expected to be docile and submissive. From childhood, while at school, certain subjects such as Needlecraft and Home Economics are done by girls while Technical Drawing and Woodwork would be done by the boys.  As it relates to sports, boys would play sports such as basketball while the girls would play netball.

There is not a vast difference between how men and women are perceived by society today as they were in previous years.  From the days of slavery, men were always seen as the dominant sex. The men did the more physical work and dangerous work and were the first to be educated when the missionaries came to the Caribbean.  The more dangerous jobs would in turn require a higher pay. The enslaved women worked in the fields and some then moved to working in the plantation houses. These women were presented with fewer opportunities than men, worked for lower wages, lacked privacy and proper sanitation therefore high infant mortality, increased sexual advances, risked being raped or killed. The ethnic or gender discrimination in the job market resulted in lower than average wages for women.

Nowadays, there seems to be an increasing diversity in the functions performed by males and females in society.  There seems to be a more leveling of the playing field whereas women are given more reasonable opportunities in order to compete with men and to rise to break the glass ceiling as long as they are equally qualified.

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Gender Spectrum Gender Equality Gender Roles Gender Identity Gender Inequality Female Gender Feminism Men vs Women in Negotiations Exchange Gender Expectations Gender and Culture Gender Norms Gender Development Race and Gender Gender Differences Gender Binary Orientation Gender Symbols

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Central to understanding much of the Trinidadian psyche is to understand the festival culture of the island. And no festival is greater than the Trinidad Carnival. The dynamism of the festival has sparked its reproduction throughout the rest of the Caribbean island chain, and as far away as Toronto, New York, Miami and Notting Hill. But everyone knows that Trinidad is the "mother of all West Indian carnivals", which attracts visitors from all over the world, including international celebrities like Halle Berry. Its roots are here

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The origins of Trinidad Carnival

Trinidad Carnival dates back to the 18th century, and the influx of French Catholic planters - both white and free coloured - their slaves, and free blacks in the 1780s. The white and free coloured both staged elaborate masquerade balls at Christmas and as a "farewell to the flesh" before the Catholic Lenten season, with each group mimicking the other in their masking and entertainment. The West African slaves of these planters as well as free coloureds had their own masking traditions, and held festivities around the burning and harvesting of the sugar cane (this was known as cannes bruleés, anglicised as Canboulay or Camboulay). For each group, masks and mimicry were an essential part of the ritual.

After the emancipation of slaves in 1838, Canboulay became a symbol of freedom and defiance. In response, the British colonial government outlawed drumming, stickfighting, masquerading, African-derived religions (like those of the Orisa faith and the Spiritual Shouter Baptists or Shango Baptists), and even tried to suppress the steelpan - but was never able to stamp out what has become a hallmark of Trinidadian identity.

This masking and mimicry merged over time with the calinda - or stickfighting accompanied by chanting and drumming - and rituals of Canboulay to become a jamette - or underclass - masquerade. After many a battle with the British colonial government, who kept trying to ban drumming, masquerade, and even the steel pan - the festival eventually found a home on the Monday and Tuesday before Lent, and was adopted as a symbol of Trinidadian culture during the independence movement.

Characters from the earliest Carnival include the pis-en-lit, who walks around in a nightgown waving a chamber pot, and the Dame Lorraine, a man in a dress with enormously stuffed bosom and bottom. Some of these traditions have endured, but most of them are fading fast, replaced by the beads and feathers of Brazilianstyle costumes. But Carnival is driven by what the people want.

Businesses and the middle class have gentrified and popularised the festival over the last century, with formal competitions and committees taking some of the sting and violence out of the festival. There are still some sectors of society that consider Carnival as too lewd or morally unacceptable to participate or even spectate. Nevertheless, it has evolved into a festival celebrated (or avoided) by young and old, of every class, creed and colour, in what truly is a spectacle of creativity and resilience, and an exposition of all the nation's strengths and weaknesses. It has evolved into one of international stature, and the signature event on Trinidad's cultural calendar.

Carnival today: the modern festival

The Carnival "soca switch"

Carnival really isn't just the Monday and Tuesday - it's a whole season that essentially starts the day after Christmas Day. Carnival parties (or fetes) begin, and the radio airwaves and local TV music channels are inundated with the latest soca music. It is the irresistible rhythms and infectious melodies of - pioneered by Garfield Blackman (aka Ras Shorty I) in the 70s as a fusion of calypso and Indian music - that are the driving force on the road Carnival Monday and Tuesday, and in all the pre-Carnival parties.

Music has indeed always been the soundtrack for the festivals, as chantuelles and drumming led processions back in the 1800s, and calypsos (which emerged in French/Patois in the late 1800s and in English in the early 1900s) and steel bands (which emerged in the hills of Port of Spain in the 1930s) provided the music for masqueraders for much of the 20th century. While some mas bands still masquerade to steel bans, the primary music source is the mammoth speakers of music trucks that blast the latest soca music to energise the crowd.

By New Year's, most people have put the down-payment on their Carnival costumes in their preferred Carnival band, though some wafflers can still manage to steal up some at the very last minute. It usually requires some budgeting, since the cost of playing mas (short for masquerade) on Carnival Monday and Tuesday has been increasing rapidly and can now run up to US$3,000 or more for an all-inclusive costume. It's good to note, though, that doing without the all-inclusive option - where the band offers a variety of amenities, food, and unlimited drink - can decrease the price tag considerably.

Indeed, there has been much controversy about whether these expensive all-inclusive bands provide real value for money and whether they couldn't actually produce their costumes (often mass-produced in Asia and Latin America now, rather than traditionally with volunteers in local mas camps) for much less. But for the moment, it seems in the absence of regulations or an all-out public boycott, rising costume prices are here to stay.

The entire climate of the island changes in the new year. Droves of would-be masqueraders also hit the gym and local parks like the Queen's Park Savannah to get into shape for the festivities. There are several big parties a week, many offering the ubiquitous " all-inclusive " party experience and featuring performances from the biggest soca stars.

Limboists limber up and stickfighters refine their footwork and reflexes. In the pan yards, steel bands of up to 100 players rehearse vigorously. In the mas camps - the workshops of Carnival bands - designers and volunteers frenetically assemble costumes for up to thousands of masqueraders (that is, the ones that aren't made entirely overseas), and mount sometimes colossal Carnival Kings and Queens. Professional calypsonians sharpen their tongues to deliver scathing (and often humorous) social and political commentary at the calypso tents.

Bacchanal week

The build-up to Carnival Monday and Tuesday starts from the week before, with countless major fetes and finals of limbo, stickfighting and traditional carnival character competitions (a great showcase of these is the Viey La Cou event two Sundays before Carnival).

On " Fantastic Friday", in the wee hours of the morning, there is a re-enactment of the Canboulay Riots of 1881, which ensured that - despite interference - the Carnival would go on and belong to the people. Once night falls, Soca contenders gear up for the International Soca Monarch competition - either as competitors or quite often as guests.

Carnival Saturday hosts the Kiddies Carnival, with Saturday night reserved for the best bands of steel pan players competing for the Panorama title. In the final hours before the launch of the day parades, the last major competitions culminate with the Dimanche Gras show, where the best preservers of the traditional calypso artform compete in the Calypso Monarch competition, and the Carnival Kings and Queens showcase their magnificent costumes, vying for the crown All night, several fetes keep the energy going before people break out into the streets in the wee hours of Monday morning to play J'Ouvert.

J'Ouvert

"J'Ouvert Mornin, Blow Yuh Whistle"

J'Ouvert, also known as jouvay, is perhaps one of the last modern Carnival festivities that most reflects the origins of Carnival - in particular, its origins in masking and in Canboulay processions. This is also true of the Canboulay re-enactment that happens in wee hours of each Carnival Friday morning in Port of Spain.

Described by some as a "religious" experience, the dance from dark to light through the streets of town early on Carnival Monday morning is called J'Ouvert (from the French meaning "break of day"). This is the pre-dawn ritual that begins the two official days of Carnival.

J'Ouvert is mud mas', dirty mas', and still boasts several of the traditional Carnival characters: jab jabs, blue devils, bats, midnight robbers, Dame Lorraines. It starts officially at about 4am Monday morning (the official time changes fairly regularly), with scores of people chipping through the streets of the country's cities, covered in paint, grease and mud. Locals and visitors from all walks of life lose themselves in the anonymity offered by costumes of oil, mud, clay, body paint and even chocolate. Vigorous gyrations to pumping music and "rhythm sections" (music bands made up only of percussion instruments) keep any early morning chill at bay.

J'Ouvert is not the modern "pretty mas" that commands the cameras on Carnival Tuesday. In the dim light of dawn no one is paying attention to the details, but the energy of the thousands who take to the streets is irresistible.

"Ole mas", an essential part of J'Ouvert, is street theatre. Ole mas competitions pit rival masqueraders - dressed in their own or borrowed old clothes, often incongruously composed and cryptically elaborated by a satirical placard (usually of something socially or politically topical) - against each other for the prize. Puns are a mainstay for the placards and costumes. These cheeky and clever costumes and characters often reflect public sentiment on current affairs, and also reflect Trinidadian's playful creativity (some of the other islands actually refer to us as "Trickidadians").

Bands of traditional mas characters like dames lorraines, devils, midnight robbers and Indians join the melée. This is the raw, elemental, sometimes even confrontational belly of Carnival that takes over in the wee hours before daybreak, and is not for the prissy or the squeamish. As the local saying goes (referencing the powder of the traditional "fancy sailors"): "you cyah play mas' and 'fraid powder".

Local playwright and J'Ouvert aficionado Tony Hall describes it like this:

"It is half-five, six in the morning, and the colour of dawn coming through and all these people all paint up in different colours, a riddim going and all of a sudden you feel this sense of suspension. You see all these people, all these people are your community and you realise, you feel a strong sense of love and you realise that what you are really doing is renewing a vow to love these people for the year coming."

This celebration of love is the start of the mas. Once the sun comes up, most J'Ouvert players stagger into bed to sleep off the highs (natural or induced) and get some shut-eye before the activities of Monday carnival officially start. The streets are often deserted, with large grease and paint stains on pavement walls the only evidence of the earlier celebrations.

Pretty mas: Carnival Monday & Tuesday

Around 11am the action picks up again as thousands flock into Port of Spain, the country's capital, to meet the band with which they've enlisted to play (or intend to crash). Almost no-one is in full costume, though - the joy is in just being in the streets. The object for most bands is to follow a specific route passing before all the judging posts, where adjudicators will choose the next Band of the Year. At each of these judging points, the bands slow down and the masqueraders get the chance to play themselves - or really let go! Band DJs then choose the most popular party tunes to whip up the crowd into a frenzy. The judges then count the number of times each song is played, and the leader wins the Road March title.

The only break in the activities - allowing those who have not slept since the previous Thursday night a little rest - comes on Monday night, though some people still party all through the night into Tuesday morning. Tuesday starts early, and the bands march through the streets once more, stopping only for lunch, and going until they can go no more. Some with less energy crash at sundown, but other keep going with the bands, following the huge music trucks until late at night, maybe ending up at a Last Lap fete. Then and only then do we all finally get some sleep.

This is Carnival

Dis is de ting self. A frenetic (and expensive) two months, and the highlight of many a Trini's year. Love it or hate it, it is an integral part of Trini - and Caribbean - culture. Some even say that it is Carnival which has saved Trinidad from severe political upheaval and in-fighting, for the festival provides an outlet, a distraction - catharsis.

Trinidad Carnival: the key elements

Calypso: indigenous Trinidadian music with roots in West African songs of praise and mockery, strongly influenced by calinda (stickfighting) chants and lavways that chantouelles sang to lead Carnival bands. Originally sung in Patois (a local French derivative)

Canboulay Riots: significant uprising in 1881 against the British governor who attempted to ban the Carnival arts

Limbo: sacred folk dance indigenous to Trinidad, once performed at wakes in African communities; the lower the dancer could go, the higher the spirit of the dead could ascend

Ole mas: traditional Carnival characters like the ominous Midnight Robber, talkative Pierrot Granade, and gender-bending Dames Lorraines; best viewed at traditional character parades and Viey La Cou (two Sundays before Carnival)

Playing mas: masquerading, usually in costume with a band (up to US$700 "all-inclusive"). Some bands sell out from September, but returns can be grabbed last minute. Of course, you can make your own costume (or band) - and don't need a costume to band-hop

Pretty mas: mass-produced costumes, usually skimpy bikinis, feathers, and beads

Road March: song played most often by bands at judging points

Soca: fast-paced, high-energy offspring of calypso, pioneered by Ras Shorty I (Garfield Blackman) in the 70s, fusing African and Indian sounds. Trinidad's pop music, it has absorbed R&B, dancehall, hip-hop, reggaeton, house music and other influences

Steelpan: developed in Laventille communities in the 1930s, the only non-electrical instrument invented in the 20th century. Began as single "ping pongs" hung around the neck playing just a few notes, now covering full western scale in bands topping 100 players.

More Carnival info

Check out the rest of our website for a range of Carnival information - its origins and history, how a steel pan is made, and a calendar of events. For schedules and info, visit the websites of the National Carnival Commission (), Pan Trinbago (pantrinbago.co.tt), the National Carnival Bands Association (), Ticket Federation (ticketfederation.com/events) Trinidad Carnival Diary (trinidadcarnivaldiary.com).

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Trinidad Carnival: the birth & evolution | Discover Trinidad & Tobago

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Central to understanding Trinidadian psyche is to understand the festival culture of the island.

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Application of learning in Caribbean Civilisation to students’ understanding of their social environment.

Social Environment

In the Caribbean we have a diverse cultural background, this background carries African, French, Indian, Chinese, and Spanish/ Hispanic, European and Asian influences and these different influences help to create the diverse cultural heritage that is unique to the Caribbean.

Trinidad and Tobago: One Festival is a perfect example of how these diverse cultural influences merge together to form the perfect balance, provides a platform for persons of all social classes and cultures to experience and interact with others and showcase the beauty through Caribbean cultural expression. Due the ever changing times, Caribbean culture comprises of various groups of people, different cultures how they interact and coexist and is always evolving. Trinidad and Tobago carnival dates back to the 18th century, it stems from the influence of the French Catholic planters and their freed slaves. They staged elaborate masquerade balls at Christmas and ‘farewell to the flesh’ before Catholic season. After the emancipation of the slaves in 1838, the British colonial government tried to ban masquerading, drumming, stick fighting and even steelpan, but they failed to accomplish this. On the Monday and Tuesday before Lent, the festival found its home and carries the many traditions passed down from their ancestors such as the Dame Lorraine, stick fighting, drumming, pis- en- lit and the famous steelpan. Since then the festival has modernized, in cooperating a whole carnival season which starts after Christmas day, the parties begin as well as the infectious melodies of soca and steelpan take over the radio airwaves and TV channels.

This festival relates to FOUN 110 through Caribbean/ demographic diversity. In FOUN 1101, we would of learnt that Caribbean/ demographic diversity comprises of a common inheritance of the norms and values of plantation society, a love for music, religion, arts, sports and festivals, familiar family norms and values and a common historical legacy of slavery and colonialism.

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BP Renegades Steel Orchestra / International Panorama Competition

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Trinidad Carnival 2011 Panorama Finals Trinidad All Stars

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London National Panorama Steelband Competition

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One of the local community group bands competing in the lead up to Carnival.

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