The 411 Magazine The 411 Magazine issue 4 July/Aug 2017 | Page 69

"CARNIVAL
IS AH TRUE
FREEDOM!"
- 'IT'S CARNIVAL' DESTRA FT Machel Montano
N
OTTING HILL CARNIVAL is an annual event that has taken place in London since 1966
on the streets of Notting Hill. This two day event is a celebration of Caribbean culture
and no matter the weather, visitors come in their millions every year making it one of the
wold's largest street festivals! The carnival is led by members of the British West Indian
community and in 2006, the UK public voted it onto the list of icons of England. Despite
its name, it is not part of the global Carnival season preceding Lent.
The roots of the Notting Hill Carnival that took shape in the mid-1960s come from two
separate but connected strands. A "Caribbean Carnival" was held on 30th January 1959
in St Pancras Town Hall, as a response to the problematic state of race relations at the
time; the UK's first widespread racial attacks, the Notting Hill race riots in which 108 people were charged, had
occurred the previous year. The 1959 event, held indoors and televised by the BBC, was organised by the
Trinidadian Claudia Jones (often described as "The mother of the Notting Hill Carnival") in her capacity as editor of
Britain's first black newspaper, The West Indian Gazette and directed by Edric Connor; showcasing elements of a
Caribbean carnival in a cabaret style. It featured among other things the Mighty Terror singing calypso, a Caribbean
Carnival Queen beauty contest, the Trinidad All Stars and Hi–fi steel bands dance troupe and a Grand Finale
Jump-Up by West Indians who attended the event.
Notting Hill Carnival is very reminiscent of Jamaican dancehall sessions due to the presence of sound systems,
these invoke cultural and personal associations for listeners. Physically, the dominance of the sound envelops the
crowd, creating a setting for the Carnival even though there are no physical boundaries.
The fact that the sound systems are in the streets precipitates an environment where participants hear the sounds
before they can actually see the systems themselves. The experience that all of these factors brings about for
participants is one of uplifting joy and pride.