Carnival has always reflected the energy and activism of the times, while being many things to many people. My journey with it started in the 1980s, when my Ghanaian father would drive me from our home in the London suburbs into the heart of the street festival. Dad was a taxi driver, whose raison d’etre was conversation: he revelled at the chance to chat with more than one person at a time, and exchanged a ceremonial ‘hello!’ with every passer-by, which left little time for dancing. However, after talks on Friday, Carnival UK announced it had rescinded the HR1 form and with Nautilus issued a joint statement saying both parties were “committed to engaging in meaningful consultation”. One treasured member of the NHC creative community was award-winning wire-bender Lincoln Rahamut. His work literally held together carnival costumes not just in Notting Hill, but all over the world, and he was one of the few remaining wire-bending craftsmen. Sadly, he passed away this year. Compton was commissioned by NHC to create a short film on Rahamut’s work in 2018. Remembering the time she spent with him, she says he exemplified the real spirit of Carnival. “When you speak to the people who started all of these things or continued these legacies, if you sit and have a conversation with them, they will give so much and so openly, because they really want people to continue this. They know that they’re not going to be around forever. It’s not just magic that they create, but it’s their willingness to give, to share, to teach, and to continue.

It simply is not business as usual right now and will not be for a while. It would be far better if we could pull together and work towards emerging from the pandemic with as few deaths as possible and by helping to support the economy safely. It is simply unfair to bring more casualties onto the whole population for the sake of satisfying a culture of festivity and business opportunities. It is, though, an example of enforcement hitting its purpose in ensuring health and safety in the present conditions. The band features Storm Warning founding members and Larry Miller band members bassist Derek White and keyboard player Ian Salisbury, plus the ever impressive guitarist Steve Summers and vocalist Mike Sebbage, who were both previously with the band Rien de Faire. In addition, no actual Carnival parade or spontaneous carnival celebration would be held. However, Carnival being a part of our culture and having spent months with a mask on our face, it would have been nice if we could get to wear a carnival mask instead and who knows what costumes and floats would have been created on the theme of the coronavirus?

Popular Posts

As always, Damien Boyd delivers an intriguing police procedural crime story, that not only delivers in mystery, but delves into sub-plots that are interesting and unique. Squibbing, I mean I didn’t even know what it was, let alone that Somerset Carnival Clubs squibbing is something unique across the entire planet. Take that and throw in a little Estate Agent tomfoolery and you are in for an enjoyable ride. Sounds will beat from the stage of the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens, opening with our ‘Encontro’ featuring 150 drummers, and closing with one of the UK’s finest reggae artists, Tippa Irie. We will also have zones for dance, music, circus performers across the Gardens.

A kind of compromise was reached where the establishments were made responsible, along with the tourists, to control the occupancy and ensure it did not exceed the stipulated permit for guests. Gozo Channel were also instructed to dampen the frequency of the ferries or the load factor and commuters were advised, against good practice, to stay in their car for the duration of the voyage. Attention was brought to the fact that this could cause harm and was ill advised. Carnival UK have reassured Nautilus International of there being no intent to undertake steps towards dismissal and re-engagement and have rescinded the HR1 form submitted to the insolvency service, while providing an update to the relevant Bermudan authorities. In the statement, they said: “Nautilus International and Carnival UK are able to confirm, following joint discussions held this afternoon, that both parties are committed to engaging in meaningful consultation in finding a way forward following the start of consultation on proposed contractual changes for 919 maritime professionals. Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.As a Carnival ambassador, it is important to Compton that its historical roots are preserved in the current narrative. “Carnival is very important to me. It would be so wonderful if we all collectively had this understanding of the spiritual practice regarding it.” In tandem with that, Compton says its social and political origins need to be properly understood too. “I remember there was a story with Claudia [Jones]. The police said ‘Listen, if you come out it’s gonna be a huge problem.’ We still went ahead with it, and I think it’s a really beautiful thing for people to contextualise. Carnival is a protest.” Figures from the Gozo Tourism Association indicated a significant number of cancellations and a drop in the level of bookings compared to last year. Amongst the restrictions that were imposed over the carnival holiday period, the one that seemed to irk both the tourists and the accommodation owners was the fine that would be imposed on anyone found crowding the accommodation, with a fine of €2,329 for the licence holders and €100.00 each for the guests. By January 2021, enquiries for accommodation in Gozo where already steaming ahead so much so that a quiet panic was setting in amongst the population, triggering memories of the effect that the New Year stays had induced on the prevalence of the virus. Till present we are still suffering the high numbers of cases due the R factor which keeps on spreading contagion around.

For tourism in Gozo, though, the arrival of bookings was going to be a welcome shot in the arm whilst we wait for the vaccine to take effect. The situation then began to change, as bodies such as the Chamber of Commerce and the MHRA began to raise their arguments in favour or against allowing the business to proceed without restriction and as normal.The double standard that is normally evident in Malta is costing us dearly in every front, whether on the health and safety, in the construction industry, in road safety and driving, law enforcement of drug policy, and in impunity for known participants in crimes and corruption. Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together. Both Nautilus International and Carnival UK are working cooperatively towards a negotiated settlement in the interest of all parties.” FTSE 100-listed Carnival earlier said that it was “categorically not making any redundancies” and had “significantly increased our headcount across our fleet”. Five guys who set out to play swinging R&B and shuffling blues. That’s proper R&B kids, not RnB, that funny new stuff they do now.