How COVID Stole Carnival

Hello my fellow Carnival Lovers, Fayola here. 

Are you an avid Carnival Enthusiast? If so, 2020 was a hard year for all of us. With the utmost sincerity, let me say I am sorry for your loss. I know there were a variety of responses to the moment Carnival week rolled around. Let me start off by telling you how my Carnival week went.

I am in Trinidad and was the assistant Stage Manager for the live production of ‘Sekon Sunday’ so I was acutely aware of the many virtual events working to keep the Carnival spirit alive. After all the culture does not cease to exist because of a pandemic. However, on the dawning of what last year would have been the morning of Machel Monday all I could feel was stillness. The buzz was not there. The palpable excitement the surrounds and uplifts me during the Carnival season was no where to be found.   And I felt a sadness that I cannot describe.

My entire family are Carnival lovers ( I got it from my momma 😜) and each day we would look at each other on our way to our various jobs and reminisce about what fetes we should be getting ready for right now, what we had planned to be doing and VOW to be there next year. This brings me to my next overwhelming feeling; idleness. Normally during this time I am fantastically busy! If I am not in a fete wining low, I am working hard with the team to ensure that the last minute details of your trip are being executed to perfection (or as close to it as humanly possible). And for me, the consistent reminders that I was not doing either was almost too much to bear.

By that sacred Carnival Monday when I woke up long after I would have been up for J’ouvert and looked out to see a perfect road worthy day it was all I could do not to burst into tears. Carnival Tuesday was even worse.

So out of the various responses, what was mine? To stay in bed and struggle through it. I applaud those who put on their costumes and took to their streets, backyards, living rooms and workplaces because they knew #AllHouseIsRoad. 

 My words of encouragement? Next year will BE A MOVIE so start prepping that body and those back accounts because both will need serious stamina. 

 Let me know in the comments below what it was like for you and what you are doing to cope. 

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Until next time….