Issue 5 – Trinidad Carnival 1998

Imagine a place where, once a year for two days of frenzy, thousands, hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets, singing and dancing, loving each other, creating beauty out of nothing but themselves. Imagine a culture where almost every household has a master or mistress craftsperson, or an accomplished musician, dancer or writer.

That is what Trinidad and Tobago is.

Right now it is Carnival. Nothing has ever succeeded in involving so many people in so much artistic creativity. There are over 400 new music recordings; 200 bands of masqueraders; dozens of steel bands; and again, hundreds of thousands who don’t organize their creativity but simply unleash it into the world by wining, jumping, singing through the streets of the country.

That is incredible, especially when one considers that the population of our country is only 1.2 million.

If you’ve never been to Carnival, you have missed half your life. If you have, and have not come back this year, you are missing the other half.

Nineteen ninety eight was a bumper year for music, especially. Critics have said that this year we have had more music, more variety, tempo for everyone. I’d say judge for yourself, but unless you see Carnival on pay-per-view, you can’t.

So now I will say it.

Come see for yourself.