No Ebola cannot stop me
Cannot stop de soca
We deal with HIV
We deal with Yellow Fever
We deal with Chikungunya
We deal with Malaria
Benjai and Screws, No Ebola (2014)
In No Ebola, Benjai claimed Carnival was bigger than any deadly virus, and Ebola was no real threat to the revelling of that year. Carnival came and left, and the most we got was the usual post-Carnival flu along with the visual of Benjai’s striptease embedded in our minds forever.
However, this was not the first time Carnival was jeopardized by a major health scare. In 1972, Carnival was postponed to May 1 and 2 because of a polio outbreak. This delay inspired the 1973 road march Rain-o-Rama by Lord Kitchener who cheekily sang: Rain come and wash out mas in May.
Also, there was no Carnival in the World War II period. The absence of Carnival during this time led to significant changes in the way it was presented as a national product. The post World War II era also saw the beginning of the globalization of Carnival as migration to cities in the North Atlantic became more common. So major global events have always impacted Carnival.
Carnival as an event has all of the facets that major health agencies are warning against during the recent Covid-19 pandemic – large gatherings, close physical contact, and travel.
Carnival is a major contributor to the cultural and creative industries of many Caribbean countries, so canceling in light of the recent pandemic would not have been an easy economic decision. At the time of writing this post, several carnivals had been postponed or canceled leaving stakeholders worried about their sources of income. The big bands and fete entities or even hotels may be able to handle such a financial blow, but the same cannot be said for small and micro-entrepreneurs such as Airbnb owners, those in the beauty industry, taxi drivers, caterers, service staff, some DJs and artistes, and other service providers.
Festivals, especially those that depend on visitors, are vulnerable to major disasters and global shifts. The long asked question about how to make Carnival sustainable is more relevant now than before.
The commercial packaging Carnival took on after the post-World War II period is proving to not be very sustainable during vulnerable economic times. The all-inclusive and pretty mas model that many destinations have adopted and depend on may not be viable during a global crisis. It also has to be noted that a festival cannot solely depend on visitors. Additionally, the business practices attached to Carnival events have to be revisited in light of any kind of extraordinary disaster. The government also has a critical role in policy creation to address these issues holistically to ensure the festival’s sustainability.
The all-inclusive and pretty mas model is successful because it largely targets those who can spend, especially in a foreign currency, while excluding locals as participants and as cultural contributors. To ensure sustainability, a festival cannot be focused on satisfying mostly visitors’ needs during which local culture is forced to take a back seat. Sustainability also means adding value to local communities and conserving cultural practices. It is necessary then to raise public awareness about how local communities can benefit from festivals. The stick fighting and Paramin blue devils come to mind here or even Junkanoo in Jamaica and the Bahamas.
From a business angle, bands with quality customer service and communication strategies will benefit in the long run through brand recognition and brand trust. Customers are interested in how brands engage in crisis management. An example would be Xaymaca International’s move to offer resale options to their masqueraders.
Carnival businesses should also have plans for diversifying products as well as business formulas that are flexible. For instance, making their product exportable to other destinations throughout the year or putting on events outside of the season.
Environmentally, reusing material is a good way to ensure that materials are locally available without the dependence on imports (check out the work being done by Carnicycle). In fact, all Carnival entities should lead the call on reducing littering while implementing waste management strategies. This effort may also influence local industry to pursue the manufacturing of costumes, bodywear, accessories, steelpans, etc.
On the music side, artistes have to look into social media and digital spaces that allow them to meaningfully connect with their audiences. They should also take advantage of platforms where they can sell music and other products. Furthermore, they can use the time to reflect on how soca can be extended beyond the festival and enjoyed year-round. Hopefully, artistes like Erphaan Alves will be taken seriously in this movement, and the hypocrisy of certain media when it comes to putting soca first will ultimately be exposed.
Improving the lives of residents, not just economically but socially and environmentally should influence government policy on sustaining festivals like Carnival. Tenable infrastructure that suits the needs of festivals and the performing arts must be addressed. Crime, labor regulations, health care, transport, utilities, and other social services should be a priority. Ensuring bigger Carnival entities and artistes submit to tax regimes or that this submission is equitable has to be followed through. Transparency is necessary at all levels where the government is involved.
Research is of utmost importance in Carnival’s sustainability. Collecting data on the industry’s performance from visitors, participants, the public, and other stakeholders must inform policy and any other decisions made during a crisis. Although the private sector should not take the lead here, partnerships with public and private sectors would be helpful.
Festivals must evolve when necessary, but what is obvious is that Carnival will prevail. Carnival, as we know it, will have to make a significant shift to adapt to new variables, and it is up to participants and stakeholders to be open to new ways of thinking about Carnival that will not rob it of its historical and cultural significance.
As post-colonial societies, having confidence in our cultural products is key to sustainability. Once locals believe in it and respect it, others will too, ultimately giving it economic potential. This pandemic will not be the last disaster Carnivals will face, and the traditional attitude of we jammin’ still may not be the best in critical times. But Benjai was on to something in his call to, jump up in yuh gas mask, wine down in yuh gas mask… because Carnival has always been a means to survive and overcome.
Featured image: St.Lucia News
kaibarratt 