Festival of Steel
USA - The Dr. Ellie Mannette Festival of Steel is coming up July 14- 20 here in Morgantown, WV. Their Special guest is Andy Narell, Jeff Narell, and Victor Provost. Check out Festival of Steel for information.
USA - The Dr. Ellie Mannette Festival of Steel is coming up July 14- 20 here in Morgantown, WV. Their Special guest is Andy Narell, Jeff Narell, and Victor Provost. Check out Festival of Steel for information.
Archive of International News Items
Sep 2, 2011
Notting Hill Carnival 6.30 Curfew
UK - Since the end of Notting Hill Carnival 2011 last Monday I have been approached for my view on carnival this year. A friend of mine commented "Trinidad have curfew, now Notting Hill Carnival have 6.30 curfew !" I was on the road with Panectar and left them to find Cocoyea. People are giving me their feedback every day. So this is what I saw.
By Michael La Rose
At 6.30 the police demanded that ALL music was switched off at carinval. I witnessed mayhem. I saw South Connections and Inspiration Arts taken off the carnival route and Nostalgia told to stop beating pan and move on. The policy was no music at Carnival after 6.30 ! This was what the Carnival organises and leaders of the associations had agreed to with the police when they threatened that if the music did not stop at 6.30, Carnival would be cancelled. There was mayhem when masquerade bnads and sound trucks were sent off the carnival route. Elderly men and women some children and young women in skimpy costumes were made to walk to their transport points which were away from the Carnival route. Most mas bands, their bandleaders and masqueraders do not come from the Notting Hill area, and some were lost, confused and distressed. They only know around the Carnival route. They were forced to find their way back to their transport points which are all over the Carnival area. One person told me that women in costumes were met by sexual comments as they wandered through the streets. The safety of masqueraders was not considered in this strategy. Another said that playing mas in a band was how she chose to participate safely in Carnival.
Band leaders were totally unprepared for the diversion of the Carnival music trucks and floats away from the Carnival route. They had not organised transportation for their masqueraders. They couldn't. Wherever the music stopped, that was it, the bands were taken off the Carnival route. This was regardless of where their transport home was located.
My view is that that treatment of the mas bands and masqueraders at Notting Hill Carnival was disgraceful. The current leadership of Notting Hill Carnival and its associations lack courage to stand up for Carnival culture. They misread the power they had in this 2011 Carnival season. After the riots, the police and government in Britain for the first time in the history of Notting Hill Carnival said they wanted it to succeed ! Why? Because the Olympics are coming next year. They already looked bad around the world during the August riots. It would be a public relations disaster, if they admitted they feared more riots and had to cancel the Notting Hill Carnival. They themselves admit finally, that our creation, Notting Hill Carnival attracts international visitors, the global media and generates fantastic amounts of money. This was the time to demand what we want to make the Carnival better. Our leaders in Carnival let us down. Instead mas bands and steelbands got treated like unwanted relatives. The masquerade bands and steel bands do not create violence at Notting Hill Carnival, but we paid the price.
The positives though were that there were fewer barriers around the Carnival route, giving a more natural Carnival atmosphere. There was the best provision of toilets (Portaloos) I have ever known at Carnival. This may be very temporary, as I hear all the Portaloos in the country next year will be used at the Olympics.The main magnet for potential violence at Notting Hill Carnival was removed with the non-appearance this year of Rampage and KCC static sound systems. The violence at Carnival was drastically reduced to one stabbing over 2 days of Carnival, which is less than occurs in one normal night in London, New York or Rio. Before 6.30pm, the police were behaving like human beings and went on a charm offensive. The crowds showed their support and sympathy for the police after their under-resourced efforts during the riots. But after 6.30 pm, the police turned back into monosyllable Robocops. We must demand intelligent and culturally aware policing of Carnival.
There have to be better arrangements for music at Notting Hill Carnival. 8pm is a good finish time. Most mas bands want to go home by then. Let the sound trucks and steel bands play music until they leave the route, bringing crowds behind them and draining the centre of Carnival of people.In the 1980s, the Carnival organisers and police agreed this was the best strategy. They called it the "Pied Piper" method.
Our Carnival leaders must fight to improve the Notting Hill Carnival for masqueraders, steel bands and mas spectators, by erecting £1 viewing stands with seats and bleachers at different points along the Carnival route. Erect the temporary viewing stands either side of the judging point, at "Trini Hill", "Grenada Corner" and other suitable points along the Carnival route.
I say to our Carnival leadership, don't get browbeaten by the authorities. They need us now more than ever, know your strength and stand firm for your culture.
Next Carnival I plan to tell my friends to bring some bottle and spoon and iron, to form a rhythm section so we can chip and jam our way home. No music at Carnival? Dey mad!
Send me your experience and comments on this year's Notting Hill Carnival. Tell me your suggestions for improving Notting Hill Carnival for the Olympic year 2012. Michael La Rose at michael.larosem@gmail.com.
At 6.30 the police demanded that ALL music was switched off at carinval. I witnessed mayhem. I saw South Connections and Inspiration Arts taken off the carnival route and Nostalgia told to stop beating pan and move on. The policy was no music at Carnival after 6.30 ! This was what the Carnival organises and leaders of the associations had agreed to with the police when they threatened that if the music did not stop at 6.30, Carnival would be cancelled. There was mayhem when masquerade bnads and sound trucks were sent off the carnival route. Elderly men and women some children and young women in skimpy costumes were made to walk to their transport points which were away from the Carnival route. Most mas bands, their bandleaders and masqueraders do not come from the Notting Hill area, and some were lost, confused and distressed. They only know around the Carnival route. They were forced to find their way back to their transport points which are all over the Carnival area. One person told me that women in costumes were met by sexual comments as they wandered through the streets. The safety of masqueraders was not considered in this strategy. Another said that playing mas in a band was how she chose to participate safely in Carnival.
Band leaders were totally unprepared for the diversion of the Carnival music trucks and floats away from the Carnival route. They had not organised transportation for their masqueraders. They couldn't. Wherever the music stopped, that was it, the bands were taken off the Carnival route. This was regardless of where their transport home was located.
My view is that that treatment of the mas bands and masqueraders at Notting Hill Carnival was disgraceful. The current leadership of Notting Hill Carnival and its associations lack courage to stand up for Carnival culture. They misread the power they had in this 2011 Carnival season. After the riots, the police and government in Britain for the first time in the history of Notting Hill Carnival said they wanted it to succeed ! Why? Because the Olympics are coming next year. They already looked bad around the world during the August riots. It would be a public relations disaster, if they admitted they feared more riots and had to cancel the Notting Hill Carnival. They themselves admit finally, that our creation, Notting Hill Carnival attracts international visitors, the global media and generates fantastic amounts of money. This was the time to demand what we want to make the Carnival better. Our leaders in Carnival let us down. Instead mas bands and steelbands got treated like unwanted relatives. The masquerade bands and steel bands do not create violence at Notting Hill Carnival, but we paid the price.
The positives though were that there were fewer barriers around the Carnival route, giving a more natural Carnival atmosphere. There was the best provision of toilets (Portaloos) I have ever known at Carnival. This may be very temporary, as I hear all the Portaloos in the country next year will be used at the Olympics.The main magnet for potential violence at Notting Hill Carnival was removed with the non-appearance this year of Rampage and KCC static sound systems. The violence at Carnival was drastically reduced to one stabbing over 2 days of Carnival, which is less than occurs in one normal night in London, New York or Rio. Before 6.30pm, the police were behaving like human beings and went on a charm offensive. The crowds showed their support and sympathy for the police after their under-resourced efforts during the riots. But after 6.30 pm, the police turned back into monosyllable Robocops. We must demand intelligent and culturally aware policing of Carnival.
There have to be better arrangements for music at Notting Hill Carnival. 8pm is a good finish time. Most mas bands want to go home by then. Let the sound trucks and steel bands play music until they leave the route, bringing crowds behind them and draining the centre of Carnival of people.In the 1980s, the Carnival organisers and police agreed this was the best strategy. They called it the "Pied Piper" method.
Our Carnival leaders must fight to improve the Notting Hill Carnival for masqueraders, steel bands and mas spectators, by erecting £1 viewing stands with seats and bleachers at different points along the Carnival route. Erect the temporary viewing stands either side of the judging point, at "Trini Hill", "Grenada Corner" and other suitable points along the Carnival route.
I say to our Carnival leadership, don't get browbeaten by the authorities. They need us now more than ever, know your strength and stand firm for your culture.
Next Carnival I plan to tell my friends to bring some bottle and spoon and iron, to form a rhythm section so we can chip and jam our way home. No music at Carnival? Dey mad!
Send me your experience and comments on this year's Notting Hill Carnival. Tell me your suggestions for improving Notting Hill Carnival for the Olympic year 2012. Michael La Rose at michael.larosem@gmail.com.