For http://www.thebritishblacklist.com 26th Aug 2013: http://www.thebritishblacklist.com/shakara-speaks-history-notting-hill-carnival/
The bank holiday weekend festivities are always well anticipated as people from around the world prepare to “touch de road” for Europe’s largest street festival, Notting Hill Carnival. The urge to jump and whine is exceedingly hard to resist and while festivities are well within the spirit of the occasion, it is also important for to remind ourselves of the deeper cultural roots underpinning this celebration.
Presently, the name Claudia Jones is seldom heard in relation to the Carnival. It is unquestionable however, that her community leadership led to the celebration’s advent; she is indeed ‘the Mother of Carnival’.
Born in February 1915 on the Island of Trinidad, Claudia Jones migrated to the UK after being deported from America for her political activism in 1955.
1955 was the height of the Windrush era. ‘No Blacks, No Dogs’ signs symbolized the common barriers for Black people seeking housing and work, while racial attacks were an everyday reality on the streets of Britain.
This rose to a crescendo in 1958 with the Notting Hill Race Riots. On 29th Aug, a gang of approximately 400 white youths began ransacking the houses of Afrikan-Caribbean people in the Notting Hill area. The attacks continued every night for an entire week, then once the black community realised that the Police were doing little to protect them, they began to defend themselves.
In the face of being physically attacked the Afrikan-Caribbean residents of Notting Hill were rightfully outraged that Black people found themselves getting arrested for carrying offensive weapons. Seeing the need to do something about it, Claudia Jones stepped into the breach and organised the first Carnival in December 1958.
United by the theme “A PEOPLE’S ART IS THE GENESIS OF THEIR FREEDOM”, the event was a resounding success headlined by notables such as Cleo Laine and the Boscoe Holder Dance Troupe. All proceeds went towards paying the court fees and fines of the young Black Men convicted for defending themselves.
This became an annual indoor event celebrating the history and culture of Black people in the UK, until 1965, when the thousands strong crowds were too big to be contained. It was in 1966 therefore that the Notting Hill Street Carnival was born.
Immaculate costume designs and extravagant attire, steel bands and Calypso music remained the primary expression which have become the mainstay of a Carnival tradition that has deep roots in Afrikan Culture, brought by enslaved Afrikan’s who were shipped to the Caribbean Islands.
Masquarade traditions are rife right throughout the authentic traditions of Afrikans all over the continent. Their significance ranges from honour and praise, to deities and ancestors, to telling stories of the peoples history. Most commonly, the various ‘New Yam’ festivals of west Afrika, such as the Iwa ji (Ibgo), Eje (Yoruba) and the Homowo (Ga) which are commonly held in August, are similar elaborate celebrations of praise.
These traditions evolved into the various Carnival and Mardi Gras seen throughout the Americas. For example in Brazil, Condomble fuses Yoruba Orisha tradition, Fon Vudun tradition and the various Bantu traditions of people from the Niger Delta basin/Congo region. Early in the development of Carnival, the Masquerades frequently saw depictions of Shango (deity of fire), Oshun (deity of femininity) and various other ancestral spirits.
Notting Hill carnival is more directly influenced by the traditions developed in Trinidad. ‘Moko Jumbie’ is arguably the most recognizable Masquerade character found in this tradition, perhaps because he is elevated by very long stilts. The word ‘Moko’ is said to be derived from an ancient Kongo word for God, while ‘Jumi’, from the same origin, is said to mean spirit. These ‘God Spirits’ watched over the people, foreseeing danger before it happens, and therefore as acting as the people’s protectors.
Carnival in Trinidad also served as a release for enslaved Afrikan’s who would often mock the slave masters in costume. Throughout the 1800′s, Carnival’s were festivals of dance, Kaiso music, Masquerade and also traditional stick fighting. After 1833, newly freed Afrikans began carrying sticks of burnt Sugar Cane (or Canboulay) in celebration and protest.
British colonial authorities intending to ban the Carnival celebration instigated the Canboulay Riots of 1881 which saw the free Afrikans of Trinidad engage in head to head confrontation with the police, who attempted to crush the festivities by force.
Notting Hill would be the scene of a prophetic repetition of history during the long hot summer of 1976. A new generation of Black youth, born and raised in the UK had grown tired of the brutality faced at the hands of the Police. The old bill however showed no signs of letting up and a massive increase in Police presence, coupled with an intensely aggressive treatment, resulted in Black Youth fighting back. After the fracas, over 300 police officers were reported injured, 35 police vehicles damaged, and Notting Hill would be the tense battle front for challenging racial injustice for years to come.
Today, all kinds of concerns surround carnvival: from commercial interests and corporate take over’s, to the dwindling reverence for the rich cultural heritage that gave birth to it. While some perceived the Afrikan-Caribbean heritage as gradually being consumed by the lure of multi-cultural, the London Mayors office continues to enforce changes and restriction on the festivities in the guise of “health and safety” concerns.
As ever however, power lies in the people who inherit this rich legacy to make of it what we will. With a tradition built upon such firms foundations, the preservation of the true spirit of Carnival undoubtedly lies in re-acquaintance with its origins and reaffirmation of the principles, values and cultural expressions that gave birth to it.
article for the british blacklist by @ShakaRaBKS