On Saturday the product of months of hard work and thousands of dollars invested in carnival were presented to the public in the annual road march. But before the carnival, in the wee, small hours, riotous revelers took to the streets for the decadence, debauchery and reckless abandon that is jouvert. It’s a tradition for our team to get muddied up along with the carnival crew and that’s just what Keith Swift and Luis Munoz did. Here’s their story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
On Saturday morning - before sunrise - at the San Cas Plaza there were buckets of mud and about 60 carnival revelers freely and readily bathing themselves with it. They daubed mud on their hands, faces, and legs. In fact the only place they didn’t putting mud on was their hair. And once they were smothered with and covered in mud – the real fun started.
And by the first peek of daybreak on Vernon Street, the crowd had swollen and the fun was at its riotous, debauched peak.
Woman #1: W_e just came to have fun mien.
KS: And are you having fun?
Woman #1: Yes lots of fun.
KS: You dancing in the road march later?
Woman #1: No, that’s why I came to enjoy myself.
Patrick Thompson, Carnival Association
“The Jouvert is just to jumpstart the carnival morning where everybody just start the hype from early.”
Woman #2: We came out to have fun. We just came out to have fun because we are already ready for carnival already. Rain or shine. Nothing can’t stop the carnival. Every year I participate. Dance or not I participate in it.
And one woman who has been in it is Marsha Smith from the Southside Masqueraders. In fact Smith and her sister Miss Pinkie are the crowned queens of the Jouvert.
Keith Swift,
You having fun?
Marsha Smith,
“Of course. Yes this is the mud and the color and everything and I think this year is still better than last year. To me the jouvert really impresses the carnival feeling. That is what I love about it so I hope we keep it up.”
Ashmand Wiltshire,
“I encourage all the Belizean people to come out next year for our carnival jouvert. I think that all the senior and junior bands should come out because it is like a prep for the carnival road march.”
KS: Why did you decide to join the jouvert?
Woman #3: Because I like to enjoy myself
KS: What brings you out here this morning?
Man #1: Well the fun of it, just for the fun of it.
KS: Your first year participating in a jouvert?
Man #1: Yeah.
KS: What do you think of it?
Man #1: Well it is fun so far. I wish everybody else would come out and feel the same fun we are feeling.
Keith Swift,
Herbert so what brings you out here?
Herbert Wiltshire,
“The fun of jouvert to prep me up for carnival this afternoon so I can go on bad.”
And its energy Herbert Wiltshire and these revelers need to get prepared for the road march - a short 8 hours later.
