Dear Editor,
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the University of the West Indies (UWI) is an ethnically-biased academic institution of teaching and learning. For three days every year in a multi-ethnic society, the Faculty of Humanities and Education at UWI in Trinidad has been organising a symposium on carnival, but not even a half-day annual seminar on the Hosay, Phagwa, Divali or Ramlila. Although Ramlila was proclaimed by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity in 2005.
Another 3-day carnival symposium was held recently on February 24-26, 2021, and themed “The Mas(s) in We”. These are all national festivals celebrated and shared by nationals for generations, but they do not all receive the same equitable treatment as carnival enjoys. The concept that carnival (and Mashramani in Guyana) are the only national festivals has to be debunked. There cannot be a single national festival in multi-ethnic societies.
Firstly, Adventists, Muslims, Pente-costals and other religious groups do not participate in carnival. Secondly, there is a massive, island-wide retreat to the rivers, beaches, beach houses and overseas destinations during Carnival. Thirdly, pan players, calypsonians, soca artistes, stickfighters, traditional carnival characters, etc., as well as Canboulay performers, are almost exclusively Afro-Trinidadians. The Indo-Trinidadians who participate are mainly consumers rather than producers of carnival.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kumar Mahabir, Anthropologist,
San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago