Rebellion, Freedom, and the Greatest Party on Earth
“We go jam till the moon come down.
Is we who the stars shine on.
Play a mas and break away.
Freedom in we DNA!”
— Mical Teja, DNA, Carnival 2024 Road March
I grew up in two countries, my father’s country, Jamaica, and my mother’s country, Trinidad and Tobago. While I go back to both countries often, this year was the first time in twenty years I could return for Trinidad Carnival, the biggest and best party on earth.
Today, you look at Carnival – two days before Ash Wednesday filled with feasting and drinking and music and dancing – and see it for the party that it is. But this Black History Month, look again. Look at the history that led us there. Carnival is a combination of many historical influences in Trinidad and Tobago, from festivals by the Arawaks and Caribs, the Indigenous people of the islands, later combined with pre-Lenten celebrations brought by the Spanish and French colonizers. Mas, as we call the costumed parades in Trinidad, is short for “masquerade.”
But it was the African slaves who brought their traditions – drums, dancing, the music – to change Carnival into what it is now. When the slaves gained their emancipation, Carnival transformed from a pre-Lenten festival to a celebration of freedom. And throughout the ensuing years – with colonial authorities trying to end Mas and our music - Carnival became an act of rebellion just as much as it was an act of liberation. Because that is what Carnival is – living proof, year after year, that our ancestors lived, they thrived, and they fought to give us the most beautiful gift of freedom. We will never, ever let it go.
As we get to the last few days of Black History Month, never forget that all of our history matters. It tells us the stories of who we were, who we are, and who we can become. Those who censor it, and those who change it, are doing a disservice to the billions who lived through times of triumph and sorrow, and still believed in a better world for the generations that follow. Always tell the truth about history, especially the history of those who are marginalized who don’t create the movies, TV shows, podcasts, or books often used to tell their stories. Truth is freedom. Telling the truth - that’s your act of rebellion.
-- Michelle
Do the work
This week, I commit to increasing awareness and understanding of the history of racism and racial inequity in my country, actively challenging incorrect narratives, and seeking out stories created by the communities that lived their own history.
Spread the word
This is my great-grandfather, Patrick Jones. Patrick was a half-Chinese, half-Black man, who, in addition to being a pyrotechnician, was one of the very first Carnival band leaders. His Chinese father, my great-great-grandfather, was an indentured laborer sent to the West Indies as punishment for his family’s politics. I would love if you could listen to some of Patrick’s music and hear some of his words.
If you want to keep going
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