BARBUDA'S FIRST CARIBANA - Antigua & Barbuda

40
I remembered some years ago as
I was interviewed on television, I
was asked to describe Jouvert, and
I said, “Jouvert is an organized,
fully disorganized fete.” This is so,
because you never
know who or what to
expect during Jouvert
and the strange
occurrences that
usually take place.
I have had the honor
to chair the Jouvert
committee for the
last ten years or so,
and from my eyes,
it is the icing on the
Carnival celebrations.
No matter what the
judges decisions are,
how long the debates
last, what time the shows end, what
time Lions stop their jam, no matter
the weather, as long as bands are
out, the people are always ready to
jam. Jouvert is just very special, or
as the young people will now say,
Jouvert is a time to wild out.
As a youngster growing up, I think
being out at four or five in the
morning when the place was still
relatively dark added a kind of silent
intrigue to the whole outlook of
Jouvert. People believed because
it was dark they could get away with
certain things.
I do not know how or when Jouvert
actually started, or whose idea
it was, but in conversation with
the elders, I learned that Jouvert
started long before the first Carnival
in 1957. The Iron bands from the
Mas
Music
F a n t a s y
Mitchell A. Hill
Point area that were called the
“Housecoat bands” in the 1940’s,
were very popular and paraded
the streets early in the mornings,
particularly at Christmas time and
on special holidays.
On Jouvert
morning, a variety
of characters are
always present and
provide the merrymakers
as well as
the onlookers with
a lot of laughter.
Some of these
characters dress up
in the weirdest of
costumes, others
barely dressed, while some
indulge in an over abundance of
alcoholic beverage. Individuals
like Gwen, the Po Man, the Frock
man, and the man with the pig, have
contributed to this disorganized
fete for many years. They are now
fixtures that are missed if they do
not show up.
Many of us look, stare, pass
comments and the like, but come
next year and these characters do
not appear, we feel as if something
was missing. While we remember
the characters, there are many that
are before my time and some of
them are still alive today.
Politicians, lawyers, maids, doctors,
businessmen, clerks, teachers,
cleaners, nurses and others can
be seen hugging, drinking and
jamming together, either side by
side, or bottom to belly, with a facial
expression that says, we are having
big, big fun!
Special mention must be made of
the “Rig” drivers who are considered
as some of the best drivers around.
On Jouvert morning, the narrow
streets in St. John’s provide a big
challenge to these skillful drivers.
Maneuvering the short corners with
vehicles parked on both sides of a
particular street, and vendors with
their trays, refrigerators and whole
kitchen set–up on the sidewalks,
usually become a real test. On
this the celebration of the 50th
anniversary of Carnival, we
should all big-up the Rig drivers
for taking us through the streets
of St. John’s safely each year.
They are some of the un-sung
heroes of Carnival.
The best part of Jouvert
in my opinion is reaching the
judges’ point on Newgate Street and
looking up at the television camera
perched atop the Shoul’s building.
The excitement when the revellers
realize that they are on television,
is mind-boggling. They contort their
faces into all kinds of ugly things,
and the competition of who can
wock-up more than who, begins.
A friend of mine who returned home