Carlington Wilmot
Wendy FitzwilliamLovern Hayes, Staff Reporter
Trinidad Carnival is much more than two days of masquerade and sexual liberation. It is a whole season in itself. The seeds of brilliance that blossom during this season may have been germinating in the minds of designers, composers and panmen since well before Christmas...sometimes from even years before. 'Trinis' live for Carnival and Wendy Fitzwilliam, former Miss Universe, is no different, she admits loving Carnival even more than she does Christmas. but what can you expect? She is a 'Trini' at heart.
Ms. Fitzwilliam was in Jamaica last week and was asked to comment on that explosive season called Carnival, celebrated in many countries and cities around the world.
Why is Carnival so important to Trinidadians?
Carnival is a de-stresser. If we didn't have Carnival, look at our political situation for example. Anywhere else in the world, there would have been rioting by now. That's why, for me, it's a more important festival or activity to Trinidadians than Christmas. Trinidad is a very multicultural, racial island. Carnival is therefore the great equaliser. We would put everything else aside when it comes to Carnival. Regardless of ethnicity, religious beliefs, political beliefs... Carnival takes precedence.
What do you think about the direction that Trinidad Carnival has been taking over the last few years?
Like anything else, Carnival at home is evolving, but it's evolving very slowly... We still hold on to a lot of our traditions and I like that. I think that makes Trini Carnival very special. In terms of the positive that has been happening over the last few years, I find our calypso...the...umm, many of them, or those that were doing well, standing out, are a little more lyrically sound than we've seen from 1990 to I would say 1999. Last year we had a really good crop of calypsoes. And we are seeing a rebirth of calypsonians like Shadow, for example, who has always been...yuh know, always giving us good party music, but music with a message too.
You know, so that aspect of Carnival I enjoy very much, but it's all about having a good time. And the fun...every year we say we can't top it, it can't get better...no way! And every year it does. So I'm very happy to say that in that regard, yuh know, we are traditionalists.
Have you ever been to Jamaica's Carnival?
No, unfortunately not. Jamaica's Carnival is always, I think, in April - you know like close to Easter, and I've always had exams. And then Miss Universe happened and now I'm very busy in the US. The start of the year, like now and April, is always a tough time for me... April/May.
Have you ever been to any other Carnival?
Yes, actually, to Washington D.C., Labour Day in Brooklyn, Crop Over in Barbados. I'll probably never get to Brazil, cause it happens at the same time as ours.
What do you think of those Carnivals in comparison to Trinidad Carnival?
Well - and I'm not being biased here - but you absolutely cannot compare any of the other Carnivals and there is a very simple reason for that. Our Carnival is a very big part of who we are. We don't need tourists to show up to have a good time. Our Carnival wasn't a festival created to bring tourists in the off-season. It's an indigenous part of a Trinbagonian.
You know, we live for that time of the year, so that level of energy and excitement is hard to duplicate. It cannot be manufactured, yuh know, it has to be inherent.
It has to be a big part of who you are. Um...and as a result, I think that's why our costumes are way outstanding, compared to many other Carnivals that I've seen on television or I've been to and that's because again, we take so much pride in our Carnival.
However, I do understand the need for West Indian-type Carnivals throughout the world. There are many West Indian immigrants living in Europe and the United States particularly, and they miss home. Many of them can't come home and that's their opportunity to keep in touch with where they come from.
As an outsider, now living in New York City rather, and understanding that energy, that the excitement you feel when it's close to that time and you know you're going home, I understand why Carnival is so important for West Indians outside. And it also unifies the West Indian community wherever they may be.
West Indians living in New York or Toronto or even San Francisco, Miami, they don't have a University of the West Indies, or a cricket team to bring the West Indian community together. The Carnivals in each of these cities unite the West Indian communities. That's when the Jamaicans and the Trinis, the Lucians, the Haitians, they all get together to have a good time.
How has Trinidad's Carnival affected or impacted on the other Carnivals in the world?
Well the good thing about Trini Carnival is that we are exporting our Carnival to the rest of the world in a big way. Most of the bands, in Crop Over for example- I would say probably 70 per cent of the big bands in Barbados are produced in Trinidad and Tobago. They are designed by Trinidadians. To be able to compete though, the costumes cannot be finished in Trinidad, so they do everything else there and assemble them in Barbados. I think you will see a little bit more of that here in Jamaica as well...and that happens throughout the islands, I know Vincy Mas, Grenada...Florida....everywhere. But that's a good thing I think.
How has the region responded to the Carnival fever?
Carnival has totally blossomed. I find that our Carnival has always been very popular with us and persons outside of the Caribbean. Even though our music would make it through the islands, we didn't have many visitors from here. For example, you know Jamaicans were not at all into Carnival generally. Now, if you go to certain parties in Trinidad, you're hard-pressed to hear a Trini accent, you know. There are certain sections in Poison that's all about Jamaicans, Barbadians and St. Lucians. The region is definitely getting more involved in our Carnival.
How do you think Carnival will fare in the future?
I think it's going to catch on, a little more than it already has. Over the last few years not only are we seeing an influx of Bajan calypsoes, for example, but this year, Grenada is very hot, St. Vincent is also very hot at home.
A few of their calypsoes are getting a lot of airplay in Trinidad and because we were always the dominant force when it came to calypso, it is a welcome change to see the other islands getting involved. I think that is definitely a good thing.
We also have the International Soca Monarch competition, which invites the top calypsonians from the entire region to compete. So we are definitely seeing an expansion and a little diversity in Trini Carnival. And also, I'm hoping that steel pan comes back into Carnival in a bigger, in a more forceful way, in the next few years.
It's happening now. We squeezed the pan men out of Carnival for a little while, but now you can't go to a fete and not have a pan-round-the-neck side at least. I think a big part of that is because we have taken pan back to the streets. That's what people love about steel pan.
It's about chipping along the streets with friends, enjoying a little groovy soca music. So I think revamping the pan-round-the-neck competition has definitely raised the interest of steel pan with young people.
What do you have to say on the notion that Carnival is the time of promiscuity?
I don't think that will ever change, because of the nature of the festival. It is our time to let loose and have a great time before that serious period of Lent, where we deny ourselves everything. Sometimes unsafe sexual activity is definitely a by-product of Carnival - that's one of the downsides of the festival.
But the positives so far outweigh the negatives; now I'm not saying that isn't a problem we shouldn't work on and I think we are now working on that.
Trinidadians love to have sex; we just don't like talking about it. But I've found in the last two years particularly, the Trinidadian media has taken a very responsible role in addressing promiscuity and safe-sex practices during Carnival time.
