The carnival road march is on September 19th but it might well have been tomorrow. Mas camps for the junior bands were held this week – Sunshine Masquerades and Black Pearl on Wednesday and three more bands last night. Our 7News team of Keith Swift and Codie Noralez did the rounds along with the judges and members of the Carnival Association and here's the story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
The mood was festive on the Pickstock basketball court last night as revellers from the Pickstock Carnival Band danced in lockstep. The band has 91 masquerades and as for the concept – well can you say King Obama, Queen Moya, and Prince Willoughby?
Keith Swift,
"I see Obama on your banner, what does he have to do with carnival this year?"
Gareth Gill, Bandleader – Pickstock Carnival Band
"Well it is not because he is in the States or he is the President but as a black person, I believe that he has shown majority worldwide that a
black person with God, through God we can do anything through God and I believe that because you know you have people who are prejudiced towards blacks and they say only the white can do this and the white can do that and so we show them."
Keith Swift,
"And then Queen Moya?"
Gareth Gill,
"Yes Queen Moya is a lady that loves to fight. She does not take two, she does take two and she is armed to stop anybody who wants to enter our country by force."
And while other bands are complaining about a lack of sponsorship, Pickstock's Band leader Gareth Gill isn't.
Gareth Gill,
"This year our sponsorship has been very excellent and we are depicting something very diligent; Dis da Fu We Belize. Pickstock Carnival Band has 91 members strong and with all force we are coming out this year to take all first place."
But it will take more than good sponsorship for Pickstock's 91 revellers to beat Mahogany Masqueradors' 80 member strong carnival band.
Keith Swift,
"What do you guys like about carnival so much?"
Girl #1,
"You dance and hype up yourself through the street."
Girl #2,
"The hypeness."
And there was no shortage of that "hypeness." These Mahogany
Masqueradors took over the entire block last night with dancing on the street and on top of cars – and even those not old enough to walk were in the spirit. 15 year old Ishania Brooks was front and center.
Keith Swift,
"How do you feel right now?"
Ishania Brooks, Mahogany Masqueradors
"Hype, hype hype and I feel excited that carnival the come right now."
Keith Swift,
"Carnival is two weeks away though."
Ishania Brooks,
"Yeah but I still feel hype, we still feel hype up. Mahogany Masqueraders are ready. I just like the excitement, the hypeness and every thing like how you jump up. This is my first year in the band it is a fun filled experience to be in the band."
Nadia Avila, Bandleader - Mahogany Masqueradors
"The theme for this year as you can see, we have Ya Da Fu We Belize, that is my team and the first section is protect; protect our country and our culture, so the people are who make up the country. And our second section is called conservation or recycling.
We are looking for first place, second place, or third place – we
are going out there for whatever comes at the end of the day."
Keith Swift,
"How many will be dancing for you?"
Nadia Avila,
"We have 80 and I see some new faces out there tonight and I don't where they came from and they are in the line so I don't know what I am going to do because I don't have time to make anymore costumes."
And while the party was outside, the work on those costumes was happening inside the mas camp. Bandleader Nadia Avila says that because of poor sponsorship, they've had to recycle and improvise – like making buttons out of bottle stoppers.
Nadia Avila,
"I take different things and I make costumes. Like I make headpieces from out of this and I make buttons from out of bottle stoppers and so forth and I sew pieces of cloth together and stick them and then I make my costumes."
Keith Swift,
"So a lot of people are complaining about a lack of funding and you've found a way to actually…"
Nadia Avila,
"Exactly because I don't have no funding. I have three kids in high school, university and I am strapped for cash; I look for other avenues. At the same time I promote pure hypeness when it comes to kids because I know each and every one of those kids' names out there because they don't only come dance for me. They have to have discipline and they have to have lot of respect. That is what they have to expect from me."
And compared to Mahogany Masqueradors, it was considerably quieter at Jump Street Posse's Mas Camp. Bandleader Marina Wellcome says it a sign of the hard times.
Marina Wellcome, Band Leader – Jump Street Posse
"What's happening Keith is that sponsorship is real bad but we're not worrying about the loud music, that won't make you win
Keith. It is the costume that makes you win and what you put out there. So we are not worrying about the loud music, this is Faber's Road and it is a long way for people to come and the judges have to think and understand that and we can deal with that. But what I want them to judge is what they see. As
long as they judge what they see and they deal with what they see and deal with it right, I have no problem."
And this is what they saw, elaborate costumes which bandleader Marina Wellcome says are focusing on three pressing issues.
Marina Wellcome,
"The theme this year is three the hard way. It is all about hurricanes, which we can't stop; fire which people don't turn off their stove, the drug addicts use the candles and don't turn it off; and it is all about death and child abuse, molestations.
But we are not worrying about winning this year as usual. You know how we do it, we are always in different style but we are coming hard and I mean real hard. Win, lose, or draw we are coming out hard."
And that's the spirit that will keep these junior bands dancing but more so working as September 19th approaches.
We should note that two of this year's judges are from Jamaica. The other big events on the carnival calendar are the King and Queen Contest on Saturday September 12th at the Roger's Stadium and the jouvert at 4 am on carnival day. We will of course have full coverage of all those events. The full calendar of September events are at SeptemberCelebrations.com.
