Mas Camp Madness in the City
It’s carnival season; it all leads to the anticipated Road March this Saturday starting from the Central American Boulevard and ending at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex in the City. It means that mas camps are all geared up. Titans showed off its splendor last week but it is not competing so on Tuesday night we made our rounds of the first groups visiting with two Junior and one senior band. Our News Five team comprising guest reporter Brent Lopez and cameraman, Darell Moguel, were up and around and file the following report.
Brent Lopez, Reporting
Jump Street Posse’s Camp was the first mas camp to show off their costumes and moves. Marina Welcome is a veteran; she has been involved in Carnival for thirty-seven long years. She has seen it all as it relates to carnival and has experience of the struggles and the sweet moments. This year, Welcome has a new perspective.
Marina Welcome, Band Leader, Jump Street Posse
Marina Welcome
“The theme is “MYTH OF BEAUTIFUL BELIZE”. It’s the way that I see our rainforest, right. And, I bring back Tata Duhende. I don’t know if you know about Jiji Whap, because you are young, right. But, that’s one of the characters I have in there. We have the Warriors. We have the Panthers. We have Reina, the Fire Bird. You know? A little touch of everything I could have handled.”
Brent Lopez
“Ok, what inspired you to choose this theme this year?”
Marina Welcome
“I love my beautiful Belize, right, so I tampered with the rainforest and with the barrier reef.”
Brent Lopez
“I know you are in this Carnival thing thirty seven years now. How has it evolved and what would you like to see differently?”
Marina Welcome
“I think like giving back the start-up fund would be an asset to the band, right. Back in the days, when I was on Jump Street, the media use to come around while the kids were practicing, right. Have us on the news and things like that and that would help because people would have literally called in and supported but they are not hearing anything about the bands, you know. Then you have new bands that come in and they are not hearing anything. I think that is what is making sponsorship so hard.”
Brent Lopez
“Come September 7th at 1 o’clock, Carnival day, will you be ready?”
Marina Welcome
“Of course, all I have to do tomorrow are seven knap packs and we are good to go.”
Our second stop was over at the Pickstock Carnival Band where Gareth Gill had his band energized. Pickstock did not participate in last year’s carnival but came back with a bang this year. The band won Junior Carnival Queen and then placed second and third in the Junior King and Queen competition.
Gareth Gill, Band Leader, Pickstock Carnival Band
Gareth Gill
“The theme for this year is, we are doing, CARNIVAL 360, that turns from one point to another to a future point. The first section is black and white. Way back then, when people did not know about colors, feathers and beads and so on. So, they turn from that and decide to highlight themselves a little bit and we decided to bring things of the present. And after which we have decided, you know that things of the present are not much for Carnival so we want to go farther by bringing things of the future. Which is brighter things, you know, attractive things, colorful things, beautiful things. We have eighty odd but we cannot suffice eighty odd because we were lack of sponsors.”
Brent Lopez
“Are you ready for the road September 7th at 1 o’clock?”
Gareth Gill
“Well if we’re not ready we have to be ready. Cause you can’t say you are not ready. We have to be ready when we get out there. We will be out there, you know, charming, putting on our show, getting ready for the road, doing our thing. We ain’t going to back down. We are coming harder than ever.
The night gained momentum as we made the third and last stop on Victoria Street, the home of senior band, Mystical Version. Whilst the band organizers have been facing they own challenges, they will be “pon d road” come Saturday, September seventh. Their theme, Secret of Victoria with Peace, Love and Unity, is dear to the organizers as it speaks of the ills of their community. Lead designer, Michael Tucker explains the message is close to home.”
Michael Tucker, Lead Designer
“This year’s theme we depicted a story line of “SECRETS OF VICTORIA”. It is a community based theme based on the life of Joshua Abraham who was kill back in 2001. We have three sections which are Love, Peace and Unity. The theme, we took all the positive aspects of his life and depicted it in this one story line for Carnival 2019. First section which is Love, is the red and silver section. The second section which is Unity, in the all color section and the third section which is Peace, is the white and gold section. We are almost ready, almost ready. Just a little touches here and there and that should be it basically.”
Brent Lopez
“So we suppose to see Mystical Version “pon the road” on September 7th.”
Michael Tucker
“Number 3 in the Senior category.”
Our coverage of the mas bands continues on Thursday.
