To envision a point in time when T&T was not home to the greatest festival on earth would be impossible for some, and quite objectionable to others. Yet everything has a beginning, and author Michael Anthony in his two-volume book, The Carnivals of T&T: From Inception To Year 2000, takes readers, whether avid historian, Carnival enthusiast, or cultural aficionado, on a rich and marvellous expedition from the relocation of French settlers who introduced the celebration in the 1700s, to the turn of the century Carnival in 2000 that most masqueraders recognise and love.
Since the book is presented in two volumes, it would be remiss unjust to bundle both in this one review. So in this article we will focus on part one, which documents Carnival from the late 1700s to two years after T&T became independent in 1964. Who would know that a stroke of fate in the form of European political expediency would result in the influx of French settlers to Trinidad and thereby gift T&T with its famous Carnival? Revelations akin to this are made throughout Anthony's compilation of Carnivals in this time.
Anthony, who is a well-respected author and winner of the Humming Bird Medal (Gold) for his contributions to literature, has produced a tour de force in this encyclopaedic treatment of T&T's most popular festival.
His treatment of the work is almost clinical, as he takes a step away to share a history that unfortunately has not been properly documented. From the emergence of the "tamboo bamboo" with its violent energy and controversial story, to the dissension between the classes and their almost separate celebration of Carnival in the 1800s, to the birth of a national instrument, the steelpan, one can only continue reading in awe and amazement at the rich and powerful record of what has always been a diverse and multicultural people. Recognisable names like Cannings, Agostini and Maillard jump from the pages, linking readers from past to present as they are given the answers to questions they may not have even thought to ask.
Questions like: Where did Steelbands like Renegades, All Stars and Invaders get their names? Or how were judging points established?
Things that are taken for granted in the present form of Carnival, were fought for and cherished and given a status of pride at a time when they were original and brilliant and distinctly Trinibagonian. The book exposes the immense creative genius of a people, and in doing so points out the fact that that same creative vibrancy is sadly missing from current mas. From a time when J'Ouvert wasn't 'pretty' and freedom wasn't every citizens right, Anthony takes us to the hills of Laventille, to Woodbrook, Belmont, San Fernando and Sangre Grande, with a soundtrack of sweet calypso, kaiso and steelpan, and the eclectic rhythms of the tamboo bamboo. The documentation of certain Carnivals, particularly the post war celebrations, the 1962 celebration, and the Carnival of 1957 referred to as a Balisier Carnival speaks of the people's views even throughout the season. He shows who we were, where we came from, and what it took to get where we are today in terms of this ultimate freedom of expression.