Carnival and Culture Seminar
Students of the University of California at Berkeley
Ambassador Hotel, St James.
12th July 2007
The Carnival Institute of Trinidad and Trinidad and Tobago as part of their outreach program hosted Students from the University of California at Berkeley. Ian, the driver for the Institute came at 7.00 am on the morning of the seminar at our office in St Ann’s to collect the exhibition items and give-away bags to be taken to the Ambassador Hotel in St James.
We mounted the exhibition of various Carnival costumes, photographs and musical instruments, such as Steel Pans and Tassa drums. Ronnie Joseph worked with the PA system. The event was filmed by Orlando Din Chong and photographed by Kerron Riley.
 |
 |
| Tribe costumes 2007 band Ole time something come back again |
Mt Hope Connection Sailor costumes 2005 |
 |
 |
| Peter Minshall costumes Sacred Heart 2006 | Musical instruments |
The agenda for the seminar had a full list of performers, they were contacted by Mary Ann Brailey who also designed the agendas and registration forms. The students promptly arrived at 12.30 and Dr Pat Bishop gave the welcome.
The first presentation was by the Onli brothers Baba and Modupe from Jewels of Nature. They discussed their instruments, which are all handmade and from natural materials such as wood and seeds. They went on to then play their instruments for the students.
 |
| Jewels of Nature |
The next musical performance was but Len “Boogsie’ Sharpe on double second pans.
 |
|
'Boogsie' Sharpe |
 |
 |
The Malick Folk Performers had two presentations at this seminar. Firstly, they came out in full Bele Dancing costume and allowed students to participate in the dancing. Their other performance was that of Traditional Carnival characters.
Brother Resistance sings his Rapso song ‘Ring de bell’ for the students, while they enjoy the local refreshments.
The next item on the agenda for the Students was a dance performance by the Clico Shiv Shakti Indian dancers. This was followed by students being given a short dance lesson in some of the hand and feet movements by the Indian dancers.
 |
| Dancing instructions for the Berkeley students |
 |
 |
| Calypsonian Lord Superior | Keith Simpson as a Fancy Sailor |
Lord Superior and his band sang two calypsos for the students; he was joined by two fancy sailors Mr. Dyette and Keith Simpson, followed by the traditional Carnival characters from the Malick Folk Performers. This interaction was led by the Carnival Institute’s mascot Red Devil; there was a lot of energy at this point in the seminar as students participated with the performers. The students throughout the seminar were able to take many photographs.
|
|
|
| Berkeley students interact with performers and take photographs | |
|
|
|
|
Sanelle Dempster singing while students participated |
|
Road-March winner Sanelle Dempster came on to sing two Soca songs for the very excited students. The students were quite impressed and stood up and danced as the Soca artiste performed.
Krishnan Soogrimram on the Tassa drum
The students were then treated to an Interactive demonstration of the Tassa Drum. This was done by Mr. Krishna Soogrimram and his three sons; from the Malick T & Tec Tassa Performers. They were joined by all the previous performers and the students, as the paraded out of the conference room.
This ended the seminar; as the students all received give-away bags with literature and photographs on the day’s presentations.
The exhibition was taken down and the items were transported back to the office, where I met the driver Ian, to re pack the costumes, photographs and instruments that were on display the Ambassador Hotel’s conference room.
