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Carnival is no longer restricted to just a Trinidadian event but has allowed for Regional and International integration. Competitions such as the international Soca Monarch allow for foreign artiste to perform. Fetes and other such events allow for both foreign and local artiste employment for performances. This is also seen in Tobago’s Jazz Festival, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Carnival, and Brazilian Carnival. These events allow not only an expression but an acceptance and absorption of both Trinidadian and foreign heritage and culture.

Video below depicts me talking about the courses as a whole and a bit about a foreign artiste.

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Over the years, Carnival has further evolved, its festivities are no longer a celebration of local heritage and culture but has become highly commercialized.

Carnival has seen a rise in local sales with costume and alcohol sales at their peak as fetes are popular during the season. Due to the tourist influx, foreign income is flowing into the economy hence foreign exchange is at an all time high. Due to all the celebrations, and all that is needed for these celebrations to occur, there are high levels of seasonal income associated with Carnival of not only locals but of foreigners as well. Jobs include that from menial labour (janitorial services, servers, security) to that of artiste (both local and foreign).

However, despite all the positives of the commerce, this has been a reason for relative spikes in crime around the Carnival season throughout the years, with over 40 serious crimes this season, including murder, shootings, robbery and rape. These peaks in crime cause unrest among citizens and surrounding communities as fear of the safety rises.

Not only has violence increased durinf the seson, due to all the festivities associated with the season, impressionable youth are exposed to adult and lewd behaviours (wine, jamming, drinking).

Video below shows articles of crime rates during the 2017 Carnival Season.

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Pre-emancipation saw the French costuming themselves as Negues Jadin (French for Garden of Negros) and re-enacting the Cannes Brulées (French for Burning Cane): the act of rounding up slaves and burning sugar cane.

After emancipation saw 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.

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.

However, some of these traditional costumes are being replace by the feathers and beads seen in Brazilian-styled costumes, as well as from the propriety with respect to body coverage to a sense of nudity with the bikini style.

The Video below is a compilation showing Traditional Characters of Carnival, Newspaper Article: The Changing Face of Carnival, and more morden Bikini Designs.

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Costume Evolution- Traditional Characters vs Bikinis and feathers (2)

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In 1783, the French developed their Carnival in the Caribbean and for half a century was known to a season of merriment and festivities which consisted of dinners, balls, hunting parties and concerts extending from the period between Christmas to Ash Wednesday. Festivities were dominated by white elites and African were forbidden to participate.

In 1838 after the Emancipation of the enslave Africans was passed, the Africans brought Canboulay to the festivities which was first played on August 1st but later took place the after midnight on Dimanche Gras, the Sunday before Carnival.

In 1881, the British government attempted to ban the Carnival arts which led to uprisings known as Canboulay Riots.

Early Carnival celebrations lasted e days preceding Ash Wednesday, however due to 60 years of criticism from the upper class about both the low standards of Carnival and the desecration of the Sabbath, in 1943 Carnival on the streets were restricted to the Monday and Tuesday. Festivities now included stick-fighting, steel pan, chanting and drumming.

Modern carnival consist of more than just a 2 day celebration with various band launches, fetes, pan yards, mas camps, and Competition: Steel- pan, Stich-fighting, Chutney Brass, Soca Monarch, Calypso Monarch, Carnival Kings and Queens and Extempo. Bacchanal Week also exist which consists of Viey La Cou event two Sundays before Carnival- countless competitions and fetes, Fantastic Friday- a re-enactment of the Canboulay Riots of 1881 and the International Soca Monarch competition, Carnival Saturday hosts the Kiddies Carnival and Panorama? Steel-pan Competitions, Dimanche Gras show, where the best preservers of the traditional calypso art form compete in the Calypso Monarch competition, and the Carnival Kings and Queens, J’Ouvert is mud mas’, dirty mas’, and still boasts several of the traditional Carnival characters.

The video below shows an image of Traditional Franch Carnival during the 18th Century taken from the NALIS Library Archive and pictures of me participating in Kiddy Carnival Celebrations in 2000.

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The complialtion (4 units) below depicts a brief history of Carnival and its traditional characters, it also shows how Carnival is changing from the degradation of culture hence becoming highly commercialized with increased violence, lewd behaviour and nudity. It also looks at how Carnival allows for not only Regional but International integration.

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https://soundcloud.com/blaqueaquarius/soca-drift-2017 Blaque Aquarius Entertainment Presents Soca Drift 2017 (Volume One) which features the most talked about hits for this Carnival season 2017 from Machel Montano, Kes D Band, M1, GBM Nutron, Olatunji, Voice, Mr Renzo, Preedy and much more.... Instagram: www.instagram.com/blaque.aquarius Facebook: www.facebook.com/blaque.aquarius Bookings :blaque.aquarius4893@gmail.com Soca Drift 2017 (Volume One) Playlist: 1.