Real mas in Patrick's Pod

HOW many Trinidadians can say they hold a BA in Carnival Studies? Mas man Patrick Roberts can. While his daughter Renesha was pursuing her communications degree at UWI, St Augustine, Patrick was only a few halls down, beating the books. He graduated in 2002. After years of working alongside renowned artist Peter Minshall, Patrick has taken his creative skills to a different level. He has teamed up with former Minshall king Peter Samuel and together they form “2 Peas and D’Pod.” The two ‘Ps’ — Patrick and Peter will showcase five all-inclusive sections in Masquerade for Carnival 2005 called “The Lion Kingdom — A Soca Safari.”

But what is it that sparked in Patrick the thought of quitting his job as art teacher at Trinity College after nine years to delve, wholeheartedly, into mas making? He held his mother totally responsible. Patrick confided: “I was born behind the bridge, East Dry River — bad boy area — and fell deeply in love with Carnival. As a child, on Carnival Monday and Tuesday I used to spend it with my mother in town, watching mas with meh mouth open. “I had a brother who was a wire-bender nicknamed Cito, after Cito Valasquez. I used to go with him to listen to pan, but I was always enamoured with the costumes. And later on, while in Form One at QRC, 1970, they took us to see Edmund Hart’s ‘Inferno’ as part of our literature studies. “In 1977, at A’levels the film Paradise Lost was required viewing. I remember it clearly, it was the first year Peter (Samuel) played king.”

These occasions excited Patrick. But the best was yet to come. On completion of A’levels, he enrolled in graphic designs at John Donaldson Technical Institute. It was mere coincidence that one of his tutors turned out to be Cheryl Samuel, Peter’s sister. “I remember that same year (1977), Peter’s sister took some of us, her students, to help Peter with a screen printing problem. The band was ‘Zodiac’ and we assisted him with these large triangular wings.” After that first experience, Patrick stayed on at Minshall’s mas camp — from 1977 to 2002. “Peter Minshall is the greatest mas man I have ever come across. Yuh learning to make mas, about structure, design, about processes, costume display which is critical to what will and will not sell.”

Patrick felt that there were only a few people “designing” mas. He believed that Carnival was a gift from God and that local designers were not using “what God give us (Carnival) for the purpose it was intended.” In catering for the tastes of masqueraders, he discerned that women preferred to be sexy and not naked. “There is a large percent of the population who don’t want to be semi-naked, but for the most part, they have no choice... If we sing positive soca, we will get positive results. If we only playing mas with beads and bikini, what mas can one play with underclothes? Carnival gives us a chance to express our innate creativity. We have to be involved in the passion of it. Preaching ‘Carnival’ is a good thing.” Talking about preaching, Patrick is doing just that with the Trinity Carnival Foundation, founded 12 years ago.

“We use mas and art as teaching tools to teach our children about Carnival and conservation, because long time, the costumes were made from scraps and used items,” Patrick said. “Teaching and talking about Carnival opens all kinds of doors.” In 1998, Patrick and his team were invited to Hartford, Connecticut to mentor students at a conference on Carnival. “We ran a mas camp and the participants loved it!” The foundation is also responsible for producing the Carnival 2005 children’s band “Bush Bush” named after the second oldest wildlife reserve in the Western hemisphere based in the Nariva Swamp. “The Lion Kingdom — A Soca Safari,” on the other hand, merges African culture with soca. The all-inclusive sections include “Harmony Hunters,” “Evening Glory,” “Morning Chorus,” “Savannah Party,” and “Safari Song.”

He said the sections were designed to give masqueraders a reasonably priced costume. They cost $1,375 to $1,495. “Since the season is closer to Christmas, that presented us with some challenges. One of the challenges is always material. Because of the bird flu epidemic in China, last year, we now have to get a licence to bring in feathers. The cost of material, too, has gone up but our prices haven’t really gone up. Most of our fabric is sourced here — it is about helping an industry to grow. Another challenge is that more people are coming into the Carnival, trained in management and not Carnival... But we are using our creativity and doing what is best. God has given us Carnival and it is probably one of the best exports we have.”