Friday, May 6, 2011

Carnival in the Caribbean is Africa in the Atlantic

Many elements of Caribbean Carnival combine aspects of European pre-Lenten celebrations, with the spirit and soul of African celebrations, both past and present.

Throughout the Caribbean -- whether English, French, Spanish, or Dutch -- Africans have infused these rites of extravagant display with the sounds, sights, tastes, and rhythms of Africa that joined those of European and indigenous peoples of the Caribbean to create joyous occasions for masquerade, song, and dance that temporarily transformed the streets of Caribbean cities into pulsing crowds of moving bodies.

Take for example Pitchy-Patchy, a masquerade whose multi-layers of strips of brightly colored cloth recall the ancestral ensembles of Yoruba peoples of West Africa. And the vision of Moko Jumbie stilt dances riding in the sky above the throngs evoke the floating masked spirits of the Upper Guinea
Coast of Liberia and Sierra Leone. 


A date for your diary - Don’t miss the second installment of Africa Underground on Friday, May 20 where we will celebrate West Africa and the Caribbean and experience a real African vibe!……

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