Overview

"For two days each year, Trinidad's capital, Port of Spain, hosts ""the greatest show on Earth"" - a raucous mix of music, costume and revelry known as Carnival. The festival has become more or less synonymous with the Caribbean island of Trinidad and is an intrinsic part of its identity and popular culture. For many Trinidadians, Carnival is not merely a celebration, but the culmination of months of planning and preparation. Musicians, choreographers, performers and enthusiasts face the ultimate test of their skills and stamina in the highly competitive arenas of the road march and calypso tent. Making use of interviews with artists and other participants, ""Bacchanal!"" explores the place of Carnival in Trinidadian society and the people who take part in it. Topics covered include: how the festival reflects and affects attitudes towards religion, language, humour, politics, male-female relations and folk traditions; the historical role of the Carnival, its roots in colonial society and slavery, and its traditional function as an expression of subversion and revolt; the effect of contemporary social and cultural influences on the Carnival; and the increasing involvement of Indo-Trinidadians and women, the competing musical forms of reggae and soca, and the impact of tourism and commercialization."

Full Product Details

Author:   Peter Mason
Publisher:   Latin America Bureau
Imprint:   Latin America Bureau
Dimensions:   Width: 15.00cm , Height: 1.00cm , Length: 23.00cm
Weight:   0.350kg
ISBN:  

9781899365272

ISBN 10:   1899365273
Pages:   192
Publication Date:   01 November 1998
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Carnival time again - the rituals and organization surrounding the event, with an explanation of its different stages and historical origins. Kaiso! - a section on calypso, its role in Carnival and its long history of political and social comment; steel pan - the sound of Carnival, its link with Trinidad's oil industry and its roots in poor urban Port of Spain; playing mas - the mas bands, their costumes and the climatic jump up ; stop the carnival! - threats past and present, snobbery, censorship, political bans; woman is boss - the role of women in a traditionally male-dominated and misogynist culture and their growing participation; past and future - Carnival's long-term future under the threat of commercialization. Appendices: calypso monarchs; road march winners; queen of the bands; kind of the bands; band of the year; panorama; Carnival dates.

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Author Information

Peter Mason is a journalist and writer, with a long-standing interest in cricket, the Caribbean and Carnival.

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