By Marcia Braveboy
May 3, 2022
Two developments struck the senses during and post the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in Trinidad and Tobago, between 2021 and 2022. Animals roaming the streets freely while citizens were told to stay indoors, and then a five months pregnant Moko Jumbie Carnival contestant, about fourteen feet in the air, crossing a wet stage, on a rainy night, in what was dubbed, a “Taste of Carnival”.
First, she was disqualified, then qualified and became the Queen of Carnival 2022, in Trinidad and Tobago’s experimental “Taste of Carnival”. That Caribbean island’s greatest show on earth, reduced to a taste, under Covid-19 strenuous conditions. The Covid death numbers nearing 4000 at the time of this article.
If you are a sports fan, you would have seen, read and heard stories of devoted athletes who competed in athletic events at five months pregnant. Serena Williams competed in tennis events, fully pregnant. So, you might ask: what is so different about a woman playing Carnival at five months pregnant? If you would take objection to a pregnant woman climbing a coconut tree, or any tree for that matter, maybe that will bring some clarity to this perplexing situation, as some social media bloggers deemed it.
31-year-old Shynel Brizan mounted on stilts, about 14 feet in the air, as a glorious Moko Jumbie, Carnival Queen competitor, to the awe and surprise of the audience.
Journalist Marcia Braveboy, sat down for a few minutes with Shynel at “PANTHEON the Exhibition”, at the Mille Fleur Great House around the Savannah in Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago, and asked the brave Carnival contender, why? It was raining, the stage was wet, you could have fallen? Why take the risk?
“Because I see it as me doing something natural. Accidents happen, but you know, you ha to go with yuh vibes. Ah read and ah see that after three months, it’s less likely to have a miscarriage. So, in that way, ah say well, apart from me falling, you does have your minor… you know, the first three months is the shaky time in your pregnancy…” Shynel said.
The judges of the competition, made a judgement call to NOT allow Shynel to compete for one main reason. Concerns about her pregnancy. They disqualified her and was not allowing her to sign a waiver. She would quickly seek legal intervention and the law took its course. Shynel Brizan was reentered into the 2022 competition and became the Queen of Carnival. She won! It was her second time winning the title. She was eventually allowed to sign a waiver and true to the name of her costume, the Spirit really brought good things to Shynel. She was also a crowd’s favourite and Caribbean Magazine Plus understands her winning announcement was pore raising and was met with resounding approval from the audience.
Shynel credited her designer from London, for naming the costume, Olugbe Rere-Ko “the spirit who brings good things”.
She has been playing mas 10 years now. Her fifth time on the stage, having started her stage presence in 201, she said.
In a February 28th Facebook post by curator, Rubadiri Victor about the incredible presence of a five to six months pregnant woman gracing the stage at the Kings and Queens Carnival event, a flurry of comments followed. Rubadiri noted that Shynel was six months pregnant and posed a provocative question in his post. “How many Queens in the 60 years of this competition have crossed the stage pregnant?” He quipped. Joanne WS responded: “A 6 months pregnant Mom on stilts is definitely a concern and a responsibility no organiser will wish on their hands. Anyone blindly saying it’s all okay is simply not being real. Now it’s a fait accompli. Congratulations to our TT Carnival Queen, 2022.”
Shameer Ajodha responded to Joanne’s comment: “Joanne WS, pregnant women should not be allowed to work either. They should be banned from working. It’s not safe for them either, although all women do office work, they should stay at home. Is it fait accompli?” Most of the commentaries to the post was in support of Shynel participating in the Carnival event, fully pregnant. Some thought no one should be allowed to make a decision about a woman’s body, others found the debate simply irrelevant.
“She was so graceful; I was in awe because she glided across the stage in fine Moko Jumbie style” Charli Griffith said in response to Rubadiri’s post. “the Spirit that brings forth good things was indeed brought! I said what it is and I mean what I said”, noted Athaliah Samuel.
From the naming of the costume to its design, Shynel’s costume bore significant importance to the Orisha religion or Orisha spirituality. She told Caribbean Magazine Plus that her designer is into Orisha and she likes what he does and while she is not Orisha, she has no reservations about that African Spirituality and believes her walk in life will help her to find her place in the Spiritual scheme of things one day. Olugbe Rere-Ko “the spirit who brings good things”, certainly brought a wave of victory for Shynel and placed her on a trough of success for more good things to come.
Joseph Lewis is the King of Carnival 2022. He is 30 years of age and like Shynel, won the King of Carnival in 2019 and 2022. He gave full support to Shynel’s pregnant condition at the 2022 Carnival event. “Um, so everyone seem to have their disagreements with it. I don’t see the issue, um Shynel has 14 years of experience. Anyone involved in Carnival will have that level of experience, for example somebody putting a costume that is 30ft fall, 29 ft long, weighing 300 pounds will still be able to do it because it’s a matter of experience and skill. Um, I do support Shynel being able to take part in the competition and I wish her all the best in the future, pregnancy or not, you shouldn’t be stopped from doing what you love”, Joseph said.
His costume was designed by Varma Leo Lakhan, the designer for Entourage Productions, the band that he plays with. He was involved in the building of his mas and he named it Kreegorseth, connecting it to the good that came out of the pandemic. The creatures of nature were “carefree, in their element, without any worries or concern” during the lockdown, Joseph said. “We saw the revitalization of nature, we saw nature flourishing in its true beauty. It was based on that, that Kreegorseth came into being. Kreegoseth is a mystic Spirit that is disguised as an insect. He oversees all of nature, ensuring that the people of nature and nature itself is unharmed,” Joseph explained to Caribbean Magazine Plus.
“Kreegorseth has a duality, you can love him or you can hate him. You love him because he protects, you hate him because he can destroy. The same way you can destroy nature, he will unleash nature’s wrath upon you.”
Trinidad and Tobago was indeed no exception to the rest of the world, when it came to the animals setting themselves free – during the pandemic lockdown. Birds, ducks and all manner of animals were seen in various parts of the country, on the roadways and highways, either just roaming, hanging out, crossing the streets like nobody’s business. It was a sight to behold, while citizens were confined to their homes; beholden to curfew and pandemic rules that dictated – everyone stay at home. Delightful images of the animals were captured and posted to Facebook by the few individuals who were allowed to be on the roadways during the lockdown period.
Carib Mag Plus caught up with both Joseph and Shynel at Pantheon the Exhibition, which was held at the Mille Fleur Great House for two weeks from Wednesday 9th March to Sunday 27th March. This new baby, PANTHEON the Exhibition was born of the Artists’ Coalition of Trinidad and Tobago – ACTT, after the twin island was deprived of its Carnival in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then had to settle for a mere taste of the Carnival event in 2021.
PANTHEON the Exhibition, in its second year running and which has been embraced by the scores of people who visited, is looking for an adequate home that will see no limits to the housing and preserving of some of the best Carnival costume designs in Trinidad and Tobago.
Curator and President of ACTT, Rubadiri Victor said “as it stands, the event will be hosted by Mille Fleur after every Carnival under the Patronage of the Mayor of Port of Spain. Access to Woodford Square is still granted, the first venue of the event when it was first held in 2021. As for permanent home for the exhibition, ACTT is still to engage possible interested parties to help make that a reality. A portable version of the exhibition may be staged in the UK, this year, Rubadiri said.
Now we are almost half way through the year, the T&T health ministry is reporting yet again, an increase in Covid-19 cases, the very beast that has cramped the style of Carnival in T&T for the past two years. If those numbers persist, then PANTHEON the Exhibition, more than a feather in ACTT’s cap, will likely become one of the main events that citizens will look forward to annually.
Covid-19 — THE THREAT TO CARNIVAL
Health Minister, Terrance Deyalsingh cautioned that the constant increase in Covid-19 cases can see the numbers climbing into the over 800 and 900 category once again. The daily news papers were abuzz with this report on Wednesday 27th, April when cases were at 543. On Thursday, 28th April, 802 cases were reported.
Should this trend in Covid numbers persist, then Carnival 2023 can either be a no show, or just another “Taste of Carnival” event.
The King of Carnival thoughts on PANTHEON the Exhibition
Joseph said he loves the touches of history that Rubadiri Victor, Kirk Langton and team ACTT bring to the exhibition. “He has quite a few displays and descriptions about the traditional aspects and the artisans that help build Trinidad and Tobago Carnival”, he said. And similarly, to ACTT’s concerns about finding a proper home to host the event, Joseph too expressed such sentiments. “I don’t think that its current warehouse is ideal, um, for most costumes. Reason being, as it stands right now, and this has nothing to do with discrediting anyone, but as it stands right now, it can only house small costumes. Like for an example, my costume could not fit here. And even it could, it’s not good for the costumes to be exposed to the elements, um, like that… uncovered, because of the materials they are made with and the constant change between rain and sun, the dew at night will back up on the costume. All these things, they damage the material, which affects the sheen, then of course affects the overall presentation of the costume. So it’s not ideal for the costumes to be um, just exposed to the elements like that. Should he (Rubadiri Victor) be able to get a better venue to host the costume, I think he will be able to get a better response from most designers and mas men, with regards to their costumes being exhibited in this way.”
ACTT is at this time having talks with several interest parties about the possibility of hosting Carnival like events in various spaces throughout the year, to build up momentum to a hopeful and grand Carnival, 2023.