Pastor Clarke and Carnival

Pastor Noel Clarke used his weekly “Encounter” programme a couple weeks ago to make his views about Carnival known. The revelry, he felt, was getting out of hand and creating a health hazard.{{more}} As far as he was concerned, nothing in the area of tourism can be derived from it. It created traffic problems and was a time for lewd behaviour and alcoholic consumption. The people who were doing their whining and participating in other disgusting types of behaviour should not be on the streets. He calls for a ban on Rural Carnival, but the fact that he was reported admitting that he does not like Carnival might lead one to suggest that he was prepared to go beyond Rural Carnival and have the madness stamped out all around. His views, according to the News newspaper, were not only his but reflected that of other churches, most likely ones with which he is associated. It is true that the hierarchy of many of the Churches would rather do without Carnival, but I made the point last week that many of the critics of Carnival (and these are not limited to the Churches) bring their own personalities and views of society to bear on their criticisms and perhaps reveal more about themselves than about Carnival. I want, first of all, to look at the different approaches of two other persons of the cloth, a Catholic Priest in Barbados and our own Anglican Bishop of St.Vincent and the Grenadines. This is not an attempt to pit churches against each other, but simply to look at the positions of the individuals identified.

Bishop Friday, aware of the perception by many persons of Carnival as devilish, and convinced that there must be another side to Carnival, asked two members of his Church to organise two programmes to be slotted into the Church’s “Outreach” programme presenting different sides of Carnival. This went on for two sessions. One week focussed on Pan and Mas and the other week on the Calypso. The focus was apparently on the creativity of Carnival, showing how people came together and used their talents to create a product that has so many different dimensions. Bishop Friday, last year, preached a sermon on the 5 leading calypsos of the season. I am not sure what position he took. The Bishop was shown this year at the Calypso semi-finals. I am sure that he will be against any kind of ‘whining up’ or down, and would resent any calypso filled with ‘curse words’, but he was there, nonetheless.

The other position I want to state is that of Father Clement Paul of Barbados, whom the Nation newspaper of June 27th described as ‘the singing kaiso priest’. Father Paul had been writing calypsos and stated that he had been inspired to do so because he had respect and love for calypsonians. “I believe,” he says, “ calypsonians are the social commentators and sometimes even the prophets in our country. Through a single song, they can tell us some of the issues going on in the country…”. Calypsonians, he listed, as being among the most creative people in the society. One of the compositions he is presently working on seems to be an attempt to correct the negative image painted of youths in the media. He suggests that he might even perform the song at any tent that might ask him to. The Nation, however, reported, “Father Paul said that if the song was to make it big, and he was to join a tent, it would be any other but a “Christian tent”, because He Believed Christians Should Be Wherever the People Were.” (my emphasis)

Those are two different approaches taken to Carnival. They both try to show different sides of Carnival. Father Clement feels that the Church should be where the people are so he is prepared to sing in any tent where apparently some of the calypsos with ‘curse words’ will be sung. Bishop Friday goes to Calypso shows, preaches about calypsos and challenges the Church to look at the more positive side of Carnival.

This brings me back to Pastor Clarke and my view is that the answer to any negativity in Carnival or to any perceived ill is not simply to call for a ban. People do not suddenly wake up around Carnival time and get into activities and behaviour patterns that are unfamiliar to them. My point is that the throwing of bottles and glasses in the drains and people urinating on the sidewalks and grass happen not only at Carnival. Bloc-Os take place not only at Carnival. There are problems in the society that we need to deal with and those are not problems that emerge only at Carnival. As I suggested last week, we cannot, however, simply dismiss what Pastor Clarke has talked about. What is needed are better regulations and a monitoring of what goes on. More garbage containers and urinals need to be put around the areas where Carnival festivities take place.

Two years ago I stood outside the main bar at Victoria Park during the Calypso semi-finals. There was a big garbage can nearby. I was impressed with the fact that almost everyone, child or adult, who passed threw their garbage into the container. The organisers, however, probably didn’t realise that the containers do not empty themselves. That one became full. No arrangements were made to have it emptied and so people began to throw their garbage into the drains. While there will be some persons who will continue to throw garbage on the ground even when there is a container around, I am convinced that the majority will not and that the miscreants would eventually fall into place.

We have to do some reflection on what we need to get out of Carnival. Are the annual Carnival celebrations only an occasion for people to let themselves go? What about the talents displayed by those who create what we see? How can we take these to another level? Could Rural Carnival, if better organised, not be able to attract persons to those areas and create opportunities for economic and other kinds of activities? What benefit does the country derive from the hundreds or thousands of visitors who come to our shores at that time? Have we paid particular attention to this? Perhaps what Pastor Clarke has done is to point us to or remind us of different aspects of Carnival that we need to pay attention to. Do the organisers of Rural Carnival meet with the police and the health authorities to discuss the activities that would take place and ensure that some of the hazards Pastor Clarke talked about can be minimised.

Dr Adrian Fraser is a social commentator and historian.