voice carnival feature 2015

XXXXXXXXXXX 00-00, 2012 THE VOICE | 13

LIFE & STYLE

IT’S CARNIVAL!Get ready for the Notting Hill extravaganza

I love soca Our top 20 smash hits to get your temperature rising

Street food Levi Roots recalls his carnival memories

Cultures collide Should an Afrobeats fl oat be welcomed at the annual street party?

14 � TTHHEE VVOOIICCEE AUGUST 20 - 26, 2015

OOuutt && aabboouutt

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PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Richardson

to Londoners and international visitors, an

Games Rio 2016. Watch out for moreon Brazil’s 2016 journey in The Voice.

invitation to all to travel to the Olympic and ParalympicThe festival Brazil Day 2015 brought the country’s colours, tastes and sports to the heart of Trafalgar

Square, in a celebration of one year to go before the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

More than 35.000 people came to London’s capital. Food stalls offered typical dishes of Brazil's

various regions, such as picanha barbecue, feijoada and chicken coxinhas! From the stage the

shows offered different rhythms and dances from the start to end. The festival gave a taste of Brazil

ICONIC:London’sTrafalgar

Square playedhost to Brazil

2015

LIFE’SA BEACH:

Beachvolleyball wasplayed on the

day

THRONG:The crowdshad much

to see and doand eat!

SAMBABEAT: Amusician

takes centrestage

BESTFOOT

FORWARD:Dancers

enthrall theiraudience

AUGUST 20 - 26, 2015 TTHHEE VVOOIICCEE � 15

CCaarrnniivvaall ssppeecciiaall

FAIR COP: Officers with

revellers in 1982

IN THE SPIRIT: A nun with a steel panplayer in 1986

GO GRENADA: A youngster waves

her flag with pride in 2009

LOOK AT ME: Kids strike a pose

at the event in 2007HERE COME THE GIRLS: A Brazilianband play their drums in 2013

FINGER-LICKING: A street chef cooks up a tasty chickentreat in 2005

PARTY PEOPLE: Young dancers during a parade in 1997

IN PICTURES: CARNIVAL THROUGH THE YEARS



Dr Ernest Hilaire, the patron of this year s Notting Hill Carnival, officially declares the event open‘CARNIVAL SUMS UP HOW WEST INDIANS LIVE LIFE... AND MISBEHAVE’

BY ELIZABETH PEARS

NOTTING HILLCarnival officiallylaunched last week,ahead of the two-

day street festival that takesplace annually in west Londonevery August Bank Holiday.

Steel pan legends, calypso-nians, mas bands and otherkey stakeholders gathered atthe St Lucia High Commissionin west London, to officiallyopen the cultural celebration’scalendar of events.

This year's patron is DrErnest Hilaire, St Lucia’s HighCommissioner to the UK, whowelcomed guests to the build-ing in Collingham Gardens. Itonce belonged to the WestIndies Federation as a homefor West Indian studentsbetween 1958 and 1962 beforebeing acquired by St Lucia andDominica who share the space.

Officially declaring NottingHill Carnival open, Dr Hilairesaid with a laugh: "In manyways, carnival ways definesour personalities as WestIndians: the way we live life,celebrate and, sometimes, theway we misbehave.”

The carnival is organised bythe London Notting HillCarnival Enterprises Trust(LNHCET) with support fromthe Royal Borough of

Kensington and Chelsea,Greater London Authority(GLA) and the Met Police.

In his welcome address, leg-endary pan man Augustine‘Pepe’ Francis MBE, the interimchairman of LNHCET, said thetrust has been working hard toensure the event continued tobe sustainable with a focus oneducation and entrepreneur-ship. He also introduced thisyear’s carnival theme.

Francis said: “In 2014,LHNCET celebrated thegolden jubilee of the steel pan– which is my celebration. In2015, we represent the sec-ond signature of LNHCET’S tri-celebration towards the 50thanniversary of the LondonNotting Hill Carnival in 2016.

“This year commemoratesthe emergence of carnival as atribute to diversity and the

power of carnival arts and itslinks to the evolution ofLondon; a unique tapestrywoven and created by eco-nomic, social and politicalissues which over the yearshave been overpowered bythe dynamic features of artsand culture.”

He added: “The artistic cul-tural dynamism harnessed by[one of carnival’s founders]Rhaune Laslett to empower thecosmopolitan community inpromoting heritage of the peo-ple fostering the integration ofcultures…today continues toembrace the uniqueness ofCaribbean culture embellishedby other cultures.”

Festivities start on Saturday,August 29, with the annualclash of the steel pans, calledPanorama, held in EmslieHorniman Pleasance Park,Bosworth Road.

The following day is the tra-ditional carnival paradethrough the streets of westLondon, designated as FamilyDay ahead of the main eventon Monday.

This year an additional event– an awards ceremony – willbe held on November 7, topay tribute to the 2015 winnersas well as those who con-tributed to the developmentand sustainability of theLondon Notting Hill Carnival.

DANCING IN THE STREET:Revellers at Notting Hill

Carnival in 1981

PATRON: Dr Ernest Hilaire

The AfricanCaribbeanLeukaemiaTrust(ACLT) will be hosting adonor drive at carnival onAugust 30 and 31, between12pm and 5pm.

From a designated safezone, the charity whichaims to find more life-sav-ing stem, organ and blooddonors from the Africanand African Caribbeancommunity, will be urgingpeople to step up and helpsave a life.

ACLT co-founder OrinLewis OBE said: “We havefound three life-savingdonors at Notting HillCarnival – two in one yearin 2005. The most high-pro-file of them was the actorDavid Harewood. He joinedthe register at carnival in2005 and a year and a halflater he donated stem cellsto an African American gen-tleman. That’s what carnivalcan do.”

He added: “We wantpeople to enjoy lovely food,lovely music and if they getthe chance and they’reaged between 17 and 55-years-old, come down towhere we are. We need fiveminutes of your time and inbetween the dancing andthe merriment you can dosomething really special.”

You can find the ACLT onthe corner of LadbrokeGrove and Lancaster Road.

VViissii tt wwwwww..aaccll tt ..oorrgg

HAVE FUN, SAVE A LIFE

Life & Style s top 20 soca smashes to get your temperature rising and give you that Carnival feverFootsteps -Byron Leeand theDragonaires“Every stepyou take, youmek thedancehall shake…” The sing-along intro signals in this clas-sic hit from the late Jamaicancalypso king and his band, theDragonaires.

Hot Hot Hot - ArrowUndoubtedly soca’s mostinternationally known song, thesmash hit from the lateMontserratian star Arrow is atrue classic.

WrongName/Whothe Hell IsKim? - DestraTrinidad’s socaqueen Destrahas a host ofhits, amongstthem is thisfabulous funny, aimed at thosenaughty, cheating fellas!

Pump Me Up - Krosfyah“Oh gosh… an mi sayaaaaay!” This is your anthemonce your feet are tired andyou want to take a slowerstrut!

One More Time - Machel MontanoTrinidad’s soca king boasts acareer that spans over 30years – and this feel-goodfavourite remains one of hisbest known hits.

Turn It Around - Square OneDemonstrating brilliant use ofthe word “woiiii”, this classicuses the job of a plumber as aeuphemism for a more, erm,kinky tale! “Woiiii, di water run-ning!”

Faluma -Alison HindsThose notwell-versedwith the nativelanguage ofSuriname –the language that the song issung in – have no idea whatHinds is saying. But it doesn’tstop us singing along to thesoca smash. Altogether now:“Faluma ding, ding, ding…”

Follow The Leader - The Soca Boys With many dances involvingcomplex choreography, thankgoodness for this hit with verysimple instructions: “Followthe leader, leader, leader, fol-low the leader.”

I Dare You - DestraThe soca songstress sets achallenge to the fellas in thishit, willing them to “come andtest mi wine… I dare you!”

Dollar - TaxiNo soca selection would becomplete without this smash.“Cent, five cent, 10 cent, dol-lar” – nuff said.

Jump -Rupee“You makeme wan-naaaaa….Jump!” Andso begins thehigh-energy smash that willmost definitely make you wantto jump.

Nani Wine - CrazyOnce you hear that unmistak-able brass intro, you know it’stime to get ready to wine!

MeetSuperblue - Fay-AnnLyonsA tribute to herfather, socalegendSuperblue, Trinidadian starFay-Ann Lyons gets the partystarted with this high-energyhit, complete with her cries of“hands in the air!”

It’s Carnival - Destra“Carnival in T&T is so specialto all ah we.” A true sentimentserves as the intro for thisenergetic track.

Turn Me On - Kevin LyttleThe Vincentianstar breathednew life intosoca with this2004 smash,which can stillget the crowdsmoving.

Hol’ Up Ya Foot and Jump -Zulu Lightning“Carnival massiiiiiive! Slam –ready fi action!” Once youhear that, you know what youneed to do next. (The clue isin the title!)

Roll It Gal - Alison HindsAn inspiring track for youngwomen, Roll It Gal sees theBajan soca queen encouragegirls with the lyrics: “Strengthand wisdom you must havegyal, try to seek dem out.”

Big Belly Man - Mac FingallBig belly men beware! Theladies that sing this anthemmake it quite clear they’re “notdancing with no big bellyman!”

Bonnie & Clyde -DestraUsing the melody ofA-Ha’s classic hitTake On Me to createa slow intro, Destrathen breaks into anup-tempo socasmash.

Rock It - MerchantShy guys: If you’dlike to dance with alady but don’t havethe nerve to ask, thissong can be yourspringboard. Justsing-along to thesong and ask her:“Would you like torock it with me,baby?” We can’tguarantee yousuccess, butit’s worth a try!



FEELING HOT HOT HOTFEELING HOT HOT HOT



Should the inclusion of an Afrobeats float at carnival be a problem for revellers?

EARLIER this month, asocial media frenzywas sparked whenreports emerged that

Carnival was set to includeAfrobeats floats at the event.

Though the reports wereunconfirmed, several aggrievedrevellers took to Twitter to slamthe suggestion, believing thatthe annual street party shouldbe reserved for Caribbeanmusic only.

“Afrobeats should not. I repeatSHOULD NOT be playing atCarnival,” one Twitter user wrote.“Carnival is a Caribbean cele-bration. Afrobeats is not aCaribbean genre.”

One person who refutes thissentiment is Fuse ODG. TheAfrobeats star, who shot to fame

with singles Azonto andAntenna, says that Carnivalshould be about inclusion.

Reflecting on the anti-Afrobeatremarks on social media, Fusesaid: "That makes me sad.We’re [black people] already aminority in the UK, so why divideourselves?

“Carnival has always beenopened to all different kinds ofcultures,” said the British artist,who is of Ghanaian descent.“Africans have always been atcarnival. Our friends areCaribbean, Asian, white and weall go to carnival. It’s quite sadto see people to trying to segre-gate the music that’s beingplayed. It’s disappointingbecause it is all one music.”

Indeed, Notting Hill Carnival

has, over the years, becomemore musically varied. Though itinitially represented the soundsof the Caribbean – namely socaand reggae – the annual streetparty has evolved to featuregenres including R&B, hip-hop,garage, grime, drum & bass,and more.

Surely, the inclusion of anAfrobeats float would just bean extension of carnival’salready eclectic music mix?Fuse thinks so.

“Diasporas are connected bymusic,” he says. “God hasblessed us with black music,which is what we’re connectedby, so no man can tell me aboutsegregating it and separating it.That’s just really sad when peo-ple talk like that.

He adds: “Carnival is some-thing that unifies different cul-tures, that’s what it should beabout. We should embraceevery culture. Especially blackmusic – we need to supporteach other.”

WHERE CULTURES COME TOGETHER

MULTICULTURAL LONDON: Notting Hill Carnival has long included participants from a variety of cultures

STRONGVIEWS: Fuse ODG

The Voice pollShould an Afrobeats float be

welcomed at carnival?

Ofcourse

No

I’m notsure

For the very first time this car-nival weekend, west will goeast as champion selectorNorman Jay MBE brings hisinfamous Good Timessoundsystem party to eastLondon’s St John at HackneyChurch on August 29.

The legendary DJ, famedfor his set at Notting HillCarnival, will be throwingdown the summer grooves,creating his own cathedralof hip-shaking sound, deliv-ering the perfect warm up tocarnival in East London.

Unquestionably one ofthe greatest DJs to haveemerged from the UK, Jaywas pivotal in the birth ofUK clubbing, cultivating thecountry’s rare groove andnascent house scenes andbringing dance music to themasses.

Now, the skilled selectorwill be moving across townfor one night only to showthe east side of town justhow the Good Times aredone.

At St Johns Hackney,London E3 on August 29from 4pm - 11pm.

For more information, visitwww.normanjaymbe.com

GOOD TIMES GOES EAST

GOODTIMES:NormanJay

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Elaine Adu-Poku on performing at carnival and the importance of non-Caribbean participants respecting the event s traditions BY DAVINA HAMILTON

ELAINE Adu-Poku trulyknows the definitionof dancing in thestreet. The lively

Londoner has performed atcarnival for the past four yearswith mas band Bacchanalia –an exercise that has seen the37-year-old dance along thestreets of west London comerain or shine.

Here, Adu-Poku talks abouthaving to fend off a few fellaswhile dancing; being a British-Ghanaian that respects carni-val’s Caribbean roots; and los-ing a false eyelash while danc-ing in the rain!

HHooww lloonngg hhaavvee yyoouubbeeeenn ddaanncciinngg aatt NNoott tt iinnggHHii ll ll CCaarrnniivvaall aanndd hhooww ddiiddyyoouu ggeett iinnvvoollvveedd??

I’ve been dancing withBacchanalia Masband for thepast four years. Before that Istewarded a different band fora few years, making sure thatthe dancers, including childrenon our float, were safe as wewined through the streets ofwest London.

WWhhaatt wweerree yyoouurr bbeessttaanndd wwoorrsstt eexxppeerr iieenncceess ooffppeerr ffoorrmmiinngg aatt ccaarrnniivvaall??

The best and probably worst

carnival was last year due tothe relentless rain. It felt asthough the rain for the wholecentury decided to descendon us for a solid nine hours. Itwas probably the best asthose on the road didn’t seemto care that they were wet rightthrough. It was also the worstbecause people obviouslystayed away, as who in theirright mind is going to come toLondon to stand on the streetin the rain when they can stayindoors? Also my beautifullyapplied make up was washedoff and I lost a false eyelash!

SSoommee ppeeooppllee tthhiinnkk ccaarr--nniivvaall hhaass lloosstt ii ttss tt rraaddii--tt iioonnaall CCaarr iibbbbeeaann ffeeeell .. AAssaa BBrr ii tt iisshh wwoommaann ooffGGhhaannaaiiaann hheerr ii ttaaggee,, hhaavveeyyoouu ffoouunndd tthheerree ttoo bbee aannyypprreejjuuddiiccee ttoowwaarrddss ppaarr tt iicc ii--ppaannttss tthhaatt aarree nnoonn--CCaarr iibbbbeeaann??

I can honestly say I haven’texperienced any prejudiceamongst any of the bands. Iknow firsthand that the bandsare welcoming and embracingof people from all back-grounds. I think those of uswho participate in carnival whoare not from the Caribbean arerespectful of the scene. We goto fetes, travel abroad toensure that the ‘tabanca’

[post-carnival misery/feeling ofanti-climax] doesn’t set in,participating in carnivals in theCaribbean, as well as inEurope.

DDoo yyoouu tthh iinnkk ccaarrnniivvaall iissssuucccceessssffuu ll iinn rreepprreesseenntt--iinngg mmuull tt iiccuull ttuurraall iissmm??

Yes, as bands have peoplefrom all corners of the worldwho pay good money to trulybe part of carnival. The DJson the floats play soca in themajority, but because it’s inLondon, other genres do alsofeature – I’ve heard house,Afrobeats and dancehall.

The carnival purists wouldprobably have an issue withanything that isn’t soca, zoukor calypso. However, thereare so many similaritiesbetween music from Africaand the Caribbean that if itwasn’t for language I don’tthink many would be able totell difference.

HHooww wwoouulldd yyoouuddeessccrr iibbee tthhee aattmmoosspphheerreewwhheenn yyoouu ppeerr ffoorrmm aatt ccaarr--nn ii vvaa ll??

The energy is electric.Across the bands there is ageneral sense of family andfriendship.

DDoo yyoouu hhaavvee ttoo ffeenndd ooffaannyy mmeenn wwhhoo tt rryy ttoo ddaanncceewwii tthh yyoouu aatt ccaarrnniivvaall??

I have had to. But on thewhole people are respectful soif I don’t feel like dancing withsomeone I can simply say no.In certain respects, people aremore respectful to us in cos-tume than what I rememberwhen I went to carnival as anobserver.

WWhhaatt’’ss tthhee bbeesstt tthhiinnggaabboouutt BBaacccchhaannaall iiaa??

I think the best thing aboutBacchanalia is the creativeteam, led by Kelly Rajpaulsingh.From the moment I was intro-duced to the band, I was madeto feel welcome.

Each year as we get closerto launch, you can see theexcitement amongst all thosein the Bacchanalia family onsocial media. In addition,she’s a creative genius whohas designed some beautifulcostumes that complementeach and every one of the

wearers. I’ve made somefriends for life as a result ofBacchanalia.

FFoorr yyoouu,, wwhhaatt ’’ss tthheebbeesstt tthhiinngg aabboouutt NNoott tt iinnggHHii ll ll CCaarrnniivvaall??

Being able to dance on thestreets of London with someof my favourite people all day.

For more information on Bacchanalia, visit www.baccmas.com

DANCING IN THE STREET

BLACK STAR:Elaine Adu-Poku flies herGhanaian flagat carnival

PH

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If you’re not a soca enthusiast, here’s a guide to five of the much-loved carnival dance moves

WWIINNIINNGG Arguably the mostcommon Caribbeandance move, wining ispretty much the defaultsetting for revellerswhen they’re reallyfeeling the groove. It’sall about rotation of thewaist – moving yourlower half round andround in time with themusic. As this is carni-val and much of themusic is up-tempo, thewining will need to behigh speed!

WWUUKK UUPPMuch the same as wining,a wuk up is more com-monly demonstrated whena man and woman dancetogether. The man standsbehind the woman, thewoman is bent over slightlyand is required to do muchof the work – gyrating herwaist in sensual fashion ordoing her best booty shake,while the man pretty muchenjoys the action. NB –sometimes women wuk uptogether, as demonstratedby carnival queen Rihanna(pictured, right).

CCHHIIPPPPIINNGG ((DDOOWWNN DDEE RROOAADD))Once the high-tempo groovingstarts to take itstoll, you’ll be gladto start chipping!Best described asa left-right-left-right mid-tempo march, chipping sees you taking asteady stroll, still to the beat of the music. It’s quitecommon to see revellers with a beverage in handwhile chipping – it’s the perfect time to rehydrate!

JJUUMMPP AANNDD WWAAVVEECould it be any simpler? You’ll need a flag or rag(flannel) to fulfill the ‘wave’ part, then you simplyjump in time with the music, while waving your flagor rag with passion and enthusiasm.

DDOOLLLLAARR WWIINNEEA little bit of choreography is required here. Made famous by the Taxi’s hit song Dollar, the dollar wine is performed along with the song’s lyrics, “cent,five cent, ten cent, dollar.” When you hear “cent”, you thrust your hips to the left. “Five cent”– you thrust your hips to the right. “Ten cent”– thrustbackwards, flicking your bottom up. “Dollar” – thrust your pelvis forwards. The second time around, the moves are done at double speed and oncethe lyrics “dollar, dollar, dollar” are repeated, you really have to get your pelvic thrust on!

= CENT = FIVE CENT = TEN CENT = DOLLAR

GET YOUR GROOVE ON



Levi Roots recounts a tale of serving up street food at the annual eventCOOK UP AT CARNIVALIT’S Notting hill Carnival,

woop, woop! The ulti-mate street party, righthere on our doorsteps

in our capital city. The Brown family from Brixton

were preparing for another go. Itwas their 20th year running asmall food stall off the PortobelloRoad. Pappy, the head of thefamily, will be rigorously marinat-ing boxes of chicken pieces,scaling and seasoning fish, cur-rying the goat meat and mostimportantly, making his specialsauce, which he believes willhave the revellers eating out ofhis hands.

Earlier, he would havechecked his jerk pan (barbe-cue), making sure it wascleaned and well oiled. Thegenerator had to be hired andthe transit van too.

Luckily, the family has got asmall marquee just in case itrains, but that has seen betterdays and so the prayers fromPappy are likely to be pleas forblue skies over the next twodays. He thinks that it will behis final year serving food atthe event, but the family hasheard that all before.

The Browns were carnivalregulars but they wereunaware of the massive contri-bution they made to the UKeconomy. Despite this contri-bution, they will be lucky tobreak even this year, especially

now the weather spells rain forthe main day of the event.

The cost for hiring a spacehas constantly risen over theyears and new rules and regu-lations are brought in – not infavour of the stallholders. Butpeople like Pappy are theheartbeat of carnival.

The event has managed toshake off some of its associa-tion with violence, which hadmarred its success in the past.There was even an attempt onceto hold the event in Hyde Park –wonder who came up with thatcrazy idea! But this year, just likeall the years before, it looks like itcould be the best yet.

Off they go, van packed to

the roof, heading for westLondon. Along with the mari-nated meat, the family’s stallalso provides jelly coconut,sugar cane, plantain, roastcorn, festivals and sweet potatopudding, among other deliciousCaribbean food.

Alcohol is strictly notallowed for sale on the stalls,but to boost dwindling profits,you can bet Pappy, along withevery stallholder, will have afew boxes of Red Stripe hid-den among the chicken boxes.With them on board, you’vegot to keep an eye out for theCarnival Committee people –or “De John Crow dem, isdem a teef the money,” as

Pappy likes to refer to them.They will come sniffing aroundfor sure.

Arriving on a chilled Sundaymorning at 5am and setting upis always the hard part. Butthat day is traditionally chil-dren’s day and it is indeed atrue spectacle.

The smiles on the children’sfaces, all dressed up in theircostumes and outrageouslypainted faces are a joy. PappyBrown will have his mind onmaking his first sale of theday. And also looking, out forthose snooping committeemembers.

Once the marquee is upand the jerk pan is lit up, it is

action stations. By midday,the family is in the thick of it.

One million people aregathering on the RoyalBorough of Kensington andChelsea for one of thelargest street festivals in theworld and they all are hungryand ready to party,Caribbean sty-lee.

The first float came passingby the family’s stall and fromnowhere, carnival hits like athunderbolt. The noise is aplethora of screams, shouts,whistles, horns and vuvuzelas;colours of the rainbow are ondisplay; and the flavours andsmells attack your nostrils andtaste buds mercilessly as theyare lingering along on a hover-ing, slow-moving mat of spicyBBQ smoke.

With the music busting yourears with the sounds of

thumping calypso, soca andreggae, you find yourself tap-ping, nodding and brukkingout too, along to the beat.Before you know it, you areswept along for miles, trappedinside a raging, throbbing riverof one love and togetherness.

Surprisingly, you find your-self shouting and singingalong loudly, as you allow thefestival current to manipulateyour every movement.

Soon, the river will probablydump you at some oasiswhere someone like a PappyBrown with a broad Caribbeansmile, will thrust a can of icecold Red Stripe into yourhand, before you find yourselfback surfing the festival waveagain.

Happy carnival every-one….“Feelin hot hot hot.”

RECIPE

JERK CHICKEN WINGSWITH HOT AND FRUITYCARIBBEAN COLESLAW

Levi’s HomestyleJerk Chicken WingsMakes 16 wings

Chicken is king with thesechick-king wings! They’lltake you on a flavoursomejourney and where you landis up to you! Jerk seasoningsare just made for barbecuefood. Once you put smokeon ingredients the flavoursneed to be good and strongso the spices here have lotsof oomph.

INGREDIENTS

16 chicken wings, limewedges to serve

For the jerk marinade:4 tsp all-purpose seasoning 2 tsp ground ginger90ml cider vinegar1 Scotch Bonnet, withseeds, very finely chopped2 tsp finely grated nutmeg2 tbsp olive oil

METHOD

Mix together all the mari-nade ingredients in a shal-low dish and add thechicken wings, turning themto coat really well. Coverand marinate in the fridge,ideally overnight, or for atleast 1-2 hours.

Barbecue the chicken wings,turning them over whenthey’re patched with brown,for about 10 minutes or so.Serve with cooling limewedges.

Hot and FruityCaribbean Coleslaw

Serves 8A million miles away fromthose heavy creamycoleslaws, this is one to wakeup your taste buds. It’s fruity,hot and even healthy. I couldeat this just on its own it’s sodelicious. And it’s a wonderfulcontrast to all that hot barbe-cued meat. Make a big bowl-ful!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 Savoy cabbage1/2 white cabbage1/2 red onion, peeled 1/2 small mango3 tsp French mustard100ml cider vinegar8 tbsp soft light brown sugar105ml olive oil1/2 tbsp X Hot ReggaeReggae Sauce2 red chilis, halved, seededand cut into fine sliversSalt and pepper

METHOD

Remove and discard thecabbage cores and finelyshred the leaves. Slice theonion wafer-thin using amandolin if you have one.Peel the mango and cut theflesh into matchsticks.

Put the mustard in the baseof a large bowl and stir inthe vinegar and sugar,whisking as you do so. Addthe oil, salt and pepper andReggae Reggae Sauce.Toss in the cabbage, mangoand chillis and mix well.Taste for seasoning.

� Recipes taken from Grill It with Levi by LeviRoots (Ebury Press)Photography: Martin Poole



Designer Hughbon Condor on creating costumes for Leeds Carnival and honouring Caribbean history through his work

LEEDS GETS READY TO PARTY

BY KADESH ANDERSON

IT’S that time again whenLeeds will play host to itsannual carnival.

Now in its 48th year, theevent is ranked one of themost popular carnivals inEurope and there is no doubtthat the 2015 edition will, onceagain, attract thousands ofpeople.

Founded by St. Kitts-born,UK-based Arthur France in1967, the now-chairman of theLeeds Carnival Committeesaid his main purpose forlaunching the event was tokeep his Caribbean culturealive in the UK.

France has since been aninspiration to many throughoutLeeds. So when young, Leeds-based designer HughbonCondor was approached bythe carnival enthusiast at theage of 16, he knew his workwas finally going to be recog-nised.

With over 40 years of cos-tume designing under his belt,Condor has won many awardsfor his astonishing carnivaldesigns and has alsodesigned almost half the car-nival queen costumes.

The St. Kitts-born retiredelectrical engineer has workedon numerous projects inLeeds, from Tour de Francepop up carnival last year, aswell as his most recent projectwith the Leeds City Museum,where he worked closely withthe staff to create carnival cus-tom design.

With a busy schedule of car-nival custom master classesand the lead up to the hecticcarnival period, Hughbon stillmade time to talk to Life &

Style about how his customdesigning all began.

What inspires you eachyear?

One year, I was inspired by avisit that I made to Tropical

World [in Leeds] by a creature Ionly noticed when I was leav-ing the garden, because it wasdisplaying its colourful tenta-cles. I mentioned it to my wifeand I told her I didn't see itwhen I was entering because itwas closed. But because it wasclosed I didn't notice it. It wasjust transforming into a beauti-ful sea creature. Every year, dif-ferent things inspire me.

How did you get into car-nival costume making?

I've always had an interestsince I was in the Caribbeanand at the age of 10, I mademy own moco jumbie sticksand walked on them. When Iwas 16, the chair of the LeedsCarnival Committee, ArthurFrance approached me andtold me Leeds Carnival neededgood designers like myself.

At the time I did not con-sider myself to be a gooddesigner but I instantlyresponded to the good namehe gave me and starteddesigning costumes from thatpoint onwards. Arthur Franceand Trinidadian designers whomade customs in the tradi-tional wire-bending format alsoinspired me. I quickly wantedto use my engineering skills touse materials in movements tocreate my own design.

How important are cos-tumes to the carnivalexperience?

Carnival customs are cen-tral. Without costumes, it can’tbe carnival. It generates intojust a street party. I have heardstories of people going to car-nival and having a really goodtime but when asked aboutthe costumes, they would saythey didn’t see any becausetheir focus was on the different

genres of music. I think it’simportant to remind peoplethat carnival is from aCaribbean perspective. I ammindful of other origins of car-nival, which are not Caribbean,but in our case, it’s a celebra-tion of freedom from slaveryand what free slaves did tomimic their slave masters,without fear of retribution.

Costumes developed overtime to portray differentthemes, but the initial inspira-tion was the celebration of ourfreedom from slavery. Makingcostumes are central to thatcelebration.

What do you do withyour costumes after youhave used them?

I suppose there are severaljourneys where, in a lot ofcases, costumes are disman-tled or taken away into stor-age. As a designer I often tryand design costumes that canbe backpacked and put away.

There has been demand inthe past to have costumescome out for display, but thereis often a cost associated withit and in many cases peoplearen't necessarily prepared tomeet that cost.

Even to store costumesthere is a cost; renting spacewhere they keep customs foryou for two or three years isquite expensive. The opportu-nity to display my work issomething that I'm alwaysconsidering; being able to doit on more than one occasionand ensuring displays can betaken apart and transportedwith ease and without toomuch expense.

So those are some of thefactors I put into considera-tion.

How do you think youcan encourage young peo-ple who are not from aCaribbean background tocontinue your legacy ofcustom designing?

Making carnival costumeshas always been a part-timehobby and interest so to getinvolved with young people hasbeen difficult. I'm no longer infull time employment so I havegot that opportunity to maybetake costume design intoschools. There's one schoolthat wants me to work withthem, so that would be anopportunity to work with

younger people. Looking at car-nival costumes designs is anopportunity to look at variouscurriculum activities that cos-tume design can be incorpo-rated into. It's not just about thedesign, it's about the planning,the whole manufacturingprocess, understanding the his-tory of designing, research andso on. There are clearly a lot ofopportunities for young peopleto develop a wider range ofunderstanding and to see thefinished product on the day.

For more information on

Leeds Carnival, visit

www.leedscarnival.co.uk

THE HISTORY OF LEEDS CARNIVAL

CREATIVE:HughbonCondor

IN A FLAP: One of Condor’sbird-inspired designs

LEEDS Carnival is the brainchild ofArthur France, MBE (right), who arrivedfrom St Kitts in 1957.

In 1966, two of his friends, FrankieDavis, from Trinidad and Tony Lewis,from Jamaica – students at theUniversity of Leeds – organised a carni-val fete at Kitson College (now LeedsCity College - Technology). Ian Charles,also from Trinidad but settled in Leeds, was there too.

France decided there should be a carnival parade alongthe streets of Leeds, as well as the indoor festival of musicand costume. “People said I was crazy,” he said. Butthrough his driving force and the support of many, LeedsWest Indian Carnival was on the road for the first time in1967. France remains chair of the carnival committee, withCharles as its treasurer to this day.

GOOD VIBES: A participant atLeeds Carnival

TROPICAL: Anotherof the designerscolourful creations

BY DAVINA HAMILTON

REGULAR spec-tators of theannual streetparty will befamiliar with the

colour and creativity on offer atthe two-day event.

But unless you’re involved inthe behind-the-scenes activities,you might be surprised to knowhow much work is required toget the show on the road.

“It’s a year-round effort,”explains Catherine Rock, chair-man of carnival organizationBajan Revellers. “At themoment, we’re coming to theend part, which is what every-body sees, so we’re into pro-duction stage, making up thecostumes for the orders wehave and getting the t-shirtsordered for the t-shirt sectionwe do have.

“But I’m also thinking aboutdesigns for next year, so youhave to do your drawings andsource the gems, the trims,feathers and the bodies,whether it’s bikinis or shorts orwhatever the make-up of thecostume will be, from China,Trinidad, Barbados – it dependson what the design entails.

“You then put a protoype

together,” continues theBarbados-born, UK-based cre-ative. “We’ve got a group ofpeople who make a decision asto what colours we’re going togo with and what type of trim wewant to use, the cost of the cos-tume and the cost that we wantto charge.

“We also have to organise thelogistics of actually being on theroad. So we have to get thetruck sorted and in order to getthe truck, you have to get a gen-erator, a sound system, youhave to decide whether or notwe’re going to have advertising– banners and such. We alsohave to get security for the road– we hire private security peopleso that the general public aren’table to infiltrate the band. Sothere’s a lot to do!”

Describing Bajan Revellersas “a group of people whocome together to put a float onthe road,” 42-year-old Rock has

been the chairman of the organ-isation for the last two years.More recently, she became aboard member at Carnival ArtsMasquerade Foundation, theboard of directors that run the

masquerade arm of carnival. A self-confessed “carnival

enthusiast,” Rock has playedmas since 1993 and went on towork for carnival organisationPoison UK, helping out withpublicity campaigns.

Her role as a Carnival ArtsMasquerade Foundation boardmember allows her to continueflexing her PR muscles, particu-

larly when it comes to carnival’srepresentation in the media –which has often been negative.

“My role on the board isrelated to PR and marketingand my aim has been to get

positive messages out thereabout the event,” Rockexplains. “A lot of great thingshappen at carnival, but we’vefound that they tend to bedrowned out by the few nega-tive things that happen.

“If you have two peopleinvolved in altercations duringan event attended by five millionpeople, that’s not really a bad

day. “But the media’s portrayal

often makes people feel likecarnival is dangerous andsomewhere they wouldn’t wantto go. But it’s not like that. It’s abeautiful spectacle and peopleput so much hard work in tomake the day happen. We wantto be able to get that messageacross. We also want toembrace the public and let peo-ple know that they can comeand join us to learn new skills.”

Originally from Barbados,how does Rock feel that NottingHill carnival compares to carni-vals in the Caribbean?

“In my experience, carnivalsin the Caribbean are a lot morestructured. You don't get peopletrying to infiltrate the parade. It'sa lot harder to achieve that inLondon because people justwant to take part.

“But if somebody has paidtheir money to get a costume

and take part in the event, it'snot really fair for members of thepublic to get into the middle ofthe parade. That’s why mostbands hire private security tosecure the masqueraders.

“I do think [Notting Hill] carni-val has become more structuredthroughout the years, becausewhen I first came, it really feltquite chaotic,” Rock continues.

“But now, people put somuch effort into the event and inorder to showcase what they’vebeen working on for the lastyear, they really need to ensurethat it’s executed in the bestway possible.”

So what are Rock’s favouritethings about the event?

“I like the music and thepageantry and the parades yousee. It's all very spectacular.”

If you’d like to get involved

with Bajan Revellers, email

[email protected]



Catherine Rock, chairman of carnival organisation Bajan Revellers, on creating costumes, keeping masqueraders safe and presenting a positive image of the event

KEEPING CARNIVAL ROCK SOLID

WE all know how much fun andfrivolity there can be at NottingHill Carnival. And with manybeverages consumed on bothdays, it’s unsurprising thatnumerous revellers are hit withthe urge to ‘spend a penny’during the event.

One issue surrounding thetwo-day soiree has been theongoing complaints from resi-dents about visitors and partici-pants relieving themselves onresidents’ properties.

As such, London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprises Trust –the official organisers of London’s largest street festival – isurging visitors to respect the area’s residents. In other words– don’t pee on people’s property! Happy revelling!

POLITE NOTICE: DON’T PEE ON PEOPLE’S PROPERTY!WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL?Here’s what Voice readers had to say...

The coming together of people to party.PPrr iissccii ll llaa MMeennssaahh

The overall peace, no drama, just everyonehaving a good time.CCoorrddeell ll CCaammii ll llee

Food! No, the music! No, the vibrancy andsense of community. All of the above. Ican’t pick just one.FFrraanncceessccaa LL--gg

Has to be the vibes. The way it brings peo-ple together.OOlluubbuussaayyoo IIggbbeekkeellee

The food.MMiikkee LLaasseerr

Great vibes, no matter what the weather.CChheerreell llee BByyrroonn

The cosmopolitan nature of the event.Different cultures coming together to havea good time.MMii ll ttoonn BBooyyccee

One of the best bank holiday weekends allyear! Free to dance with anyone, even thepolice!MMaauurreeeenn CChhaarr lleess

COPPER CAPERS: An officerenjoying the carnival fun

““TThhee mmeeddiiaa’’ss ppoorrttrraayyaall oofftteennmmaakkeess ppeeooppllee ffeeeell lliikkee ccaarrnniivvaall iiss ddaannggeerroouuss,,

bbuutt iitt’’ss nnoott lliikkee tthhaatt.. IItt’’ss aa bbeeaauuttiiffuull ssppeeccttaaccllee..””

MULTI-TASKER: Catherine Rock

FEATHERS FLYING: A selection of Bajan Revellers designs, which are individually hand crafted to the specification of the wearer’s body type and requirements

voice carnival feature 2015

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