Old-school Carnival at Kamboule street parade

There were no bikinis or feathers but many beautiful and colourful African costumes, enlarged African masks on poles, and moko jumbies. There were dancers, singers, and sometimes just a band of people happy to walk along the Kamboule route, but they were all accompanied by drummers who kept the beat and the energy alive.

The parade started at the Treasury Building in Port of Spain, and observers dressed in both casual and African wear lined Independence Square to see the outfits and the well-known faces.

Some of these faces included Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley; his wife Sharon Rowley; PoS Mayor Joel Martinez; Minister of Public Administration and Communication, Maxie Cuffie; Former Culture Minister, Joan Yuille-Williams; and Minister of National Security, Edmund Dillon.

The parade participants made their way to the Piccadilly Greens where performances were given for the enjoyment of the PM and his ministers, as well as members of the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC).

From there the revellers and their drums or music trucks made their way to the Emancipation Village at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

The participants were people of all ages and included The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Gonzales Community Council, San Juan South Cultural Organisation, The Tweleve Tribes of Isreal, the Chaguanas Women’s Youth Group, The Civilian Conservation Corps, Fyzabad Community Council, and even Daniel’s Family Reunion. Pelican Ext Rd Morvant also had a presentation called Africa with an almost fullsized stuffed lion lounging on a truck.

Elder Equino Mayo, member of the Emancipation Support Committee, kicked off the proceedings with a libation. By pouring water on the ground, he said it payed respect to and showed appreciation to the ancestors who suffered and survived many abhorrences.