April Carnival?

Those who care about carnival, and even some who don't should know by now that there is being discussion as to whether our beloved Carnival should hold a set date (which is being proposed as the last weekend in April). The main reason for this change is economic of course, as fete promoters/owners, mas camps etc are arguing that with this year's very early carnival they didn't get ample time to prepare.

Without really contemplating the matter I thought initially 'hey, a fixed carnival mightn't be that bad. Especially in April, when people could gear up more for it etc'. I also thought that this had the very high potential to severely rob Carnival of it's 'Monday and Tuesday' excitement. After reading other person's thoughts though I must agree that the change is bullshit. They even published a list of dates for carnival for the next 5-10 years along with the first article I read about it. As one person rightly stated - they know the dates already!!! it's their own fault for not being able to plan on time for carnival! Typical trini slackness reigns supreme.

This move will serve to further sever the link between traditional carnival and what carnival is really supposed to stand for and what carnival is today (over produced, commercialized excitement at the right price). Thus I stand by my fellow true carnival lovers against the economic-driven higher-ups. Carnival IS Monday and Tuesday. It isn't just a big two-day fete in the road although that's exactly what it has now come to. In this case we must move backward instead of forward. Backward into tradition. I'd much rather play traditional mas and take on the character of a Midnight Robber than... 'Amalthea'. What am I supposed to do in a white costume that resembles nothing I'm familiar with? Drink and lime and wine.. and that's exactly why things are the way they are now.. the cycle that's getting rid of all traces of tradition.