Trinidad and Tobago is widely
known as the home of Caribbean Carnival.
It is an annual festival that
culminates in a street parade on the Monday
and Tuesday prior to the
Christian Lenten season. My interest in learning/
teaching practices in
contexts other than the traditional classrooms took
me to the
mas’
* camps for
2005 Carnival season. I worked as a volunteer
in
the mas’ camps, observed, took photographs, attended the various
competitions,
and interviewed members of the mas’ making community. I
was interested
in knowing how they “made it happen”. How did they learn
to make mas’?
Who were the teachers in the community? I became a
learner and a member
of the community who was allowed to take
photographs. These images are
by no means viewed as reality. They are
not reflections of reality but represent
interpretations of my
experiences of the event. I can no longer look at a
Carnival Queen
costume with the same eyes I used before the experience.
I witnessed,
smelt, and felt the challenges, the joys, and sorrows of making
a
Carnival Queen and tried to keep the memories alive using the
lens of
the digital camera.
How does this documentary of the making of event change or inform one's
perception of the event?
Please
leave your comment here.
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