j’Ouvert, the great equalizer.
In a discussion in my carnival WhatsApp chat group today we discussed how carnival was a special, almost mythical space where EVERYONE is special.
it got us thinking about how, although not perfect in this regard, carnival is the great equalizer.
In the carnival fete and on the road you are surrounded by like minded people just there to celebrate and have a good time and you see everyone around you as part of your “tribe”.
Nowhere in carnival is this more true than j’Ouvert. j’Ouvert is a carnival celebration rooted deep in Caribbean culture. Originating in Trinidad and Tobago, it is rooted in a celebration of the victory of our ancestors over their struggles and oppressors. They may also more directly pay homage to the Canboulay riots in Port of Spain where rioters smeared themselves in oil, mud and paint to avoid being recognized.
The traditional mud, oil and paint make j’Ouvert revellers of today anonymous and homogeneous. Free of their responsibilities and hangups. Every creed and race finding an equal place….out of many, one people.
There is an urban legend of a beautiful bank manager getting the wine of her life from a strong young man, a Stallion, at j’Ouvert. The bank manager returns to work several days later after mas and happens to cross eyes with the vagrant just down the road from the bank entrance. Give you one guess who the vagrant was (He was the stallion).
The thing is, I don’t think this is a legend. I AM CONFIDENT some form of this story happens dozens and dozens of times over EVERY carnival. It’s testimony to the fact that for at least one morning, we cast aside our differences and celebrate, truly as ONE.
