Queen Jade: Too much bikini mas

In an interview at Newsday’s Port-of-Spain offices yesterday, she commented on the current state of mas in this country today.

“I think it’s a little ridiculous, the costumes reveal a little too much,” she said, arguing that everything in mas making has degenerated into “bikini and beads.” But she did not only have stern words for the quality of mas in the bands.

Commenting on the standard of queens in the adult Queen of Carnival competition, she said she was dismayed over the popularity of wheels in that event annually.

“I don’t like seeing people playing Carnival in wheels.”

Her solution to the current poor quality of mas at the senior level?

“I think juniors should compete with adults and show them how to do it,” she said before going on to encourage young people to play mas for the fun of it.

Alleng, 13, a form three student of Bishop Antsey High School, was on Tuesday night crowned Junior Queen beating a field of 20 competitors with her “Black is Beautiful-Woman of Colour” portrayal.

Easily carrying an 18-foot high and 15-foot wide feathered costume, she scored 444 points, the highest score thus far of all of the kings and queens competitions, even the seniors.

It is the second win in a row for Alleng, won last year’s competition with “Ride Baby Ride- A Tribute to Errol Payne”. In 2006, she placed second among the junior queens with “Soca Warrior Queen on Fire- A Tribute to Anra Bobb”.

Her costume this year, designed, bent and decorated by veteran mas maker and close family friend Stephen Derek, was made of 2,000 peacock feathers, five pounds of plumes, 30 yards of cocktail feathers and 50 peasant feathers. A single peasant feather costs US$12.

Alleng explained that her costume, from the Tony Alleng-led band Kaiso Kaiso, was all about black power.

“It shows that black women still have a place in society today,” she argued. The costume was conceptualised by herself, her parents and Derek in conjunction with the Mighty Duke. Its title alludes to Duke’s 1969 hit.