Mas Camps underway for Carnival Road March
It’s a little over a week away from Carnival on September third. Mas bands are busy practicing and putting the final touches to the elaborate costumes for the spectacular road march. The revelry and hype got into full swing on Wednesday night in the junior division over at McKay Boulevard and Magazine Road. Two aspiring bands spoke to News Five’s Andrea Polanco on what they will bring to the road march.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
It’s the first night of Mas Camp, and the Junior Bands will not be outdone! We visited with the Mahogany and Sunshine Masqueraders on Wednesday night where it was a live street fest of music and dancing. But amidst the festival, the junior bands will be sending out positive messages:
Nadia Avila, Band Leader, Mahogany Masqueraders
Nadia Avila
“Belize at thirty and its people; The first section preserving our economy, that section will include fish, chicken our local products and our fruits and vegetables to keep us healthy. At the same time if we eat right we wah be right. The second section is celebrating our cultures. All the different diverse ethnicities will be under one umbrella in one costume; the headpiece representing the Mestizo, the Indian, the Garinagu, the Chinese, yuh know in one costume beautiful, beautiful colors. The third section will be unite in peace; we will be displaying our Belize Flag exactly how the flag is displayed, that’s the way we will be doing it, red, white and blue.”
Andrea Polanco
“Ms Marilyn I di si some colorful costume, ah di si wah whole lotta a thing yah weh ah like si. Tell mi weh dah yuh theme dis year?”
Marilyn Young
Marilyn Young, Band Leader Sunshine Masqueraders
“We have two groups but the entire theme dah Tropical things that are in Belize. The reason we choose this is because we are Belizeans and we want people to know more about our country and we want to protect what we have.”
The highlight for both bands will the king and queen, who intend to walk away with the junior titles of the King & Queen Competition:
Marilyn Young
“The queen will portray the tropical garden and these are the flowers that she will portray. The King will portray the, he will dance the Scarlet Macaw but he will portray the Rain Forest.”
Nadia Avila
“My king will be King Koookorokooooo he’ll be a big rooster, he’s Calman Hall, fourteen, very good dance, very good dancer. And I have two queens, Shasta Cattouse she will be Queen Florumba, under the shade of the tree we flourish; beautiful green and white and silver costume. And another queen will be Queen Iseni, love yuh know and she will be a cultural costume, displaying all the different ethnics in one costume.”
The two junior bands say they will bring out the revelers in numbers and who are ready to take over the streets of the city on September third:
Nadia Avila
“I have over seventy five children. I have wah few that I had to turn back yuh know but we had to have seventy five so I keep about seventy six members to be on the safe side.”
Andrea Polanco
“Suh I just si your revelers deh di go on bad out deh, but you sure that deh wah bring dis hype, they wah bring dis heat come Carnival Day?”
Nadia Avila
“Every one of those kids is ready for this road march. I have kids that are sick, disabled, and yuh know can’t hear, can’t speak. I have kids with deh own problem down there but they are all ready. All ah deh dah one fi me, nobody better than the other; everyday they practice at one o’clock heart of the sun. Deh ready todeh so have to be ready next week.”
Marilyn Young
“I have thirty three strong. The youngest is five years old and the oldest is sixteen.”
Andrea Polanco
“Arite, suh tell me what is the mood like in the camp itself?”
Marilyn Young
“Well to be honest with you, the children deh all hype up deh cyaa wait till next week Saturday. We practice everyday right here and the children deh di look forward to it.”
Andrea Polanco
“Suh Miss Marilyn you positive that come Carnival Day your thirty three revelers wah di jam out deh, di palance, di wuk up and the whole nine yards?”
Marilyn Young
“The whole nine yards the only way fi wi nuh deh out deh dah if hurricane come.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.
The Mas Camp continues tonight with the seniors. Southside Masqueraders will take to Dolphin Street in a flurry of pre-carnival moves.
