Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 02/Mar 04:52

Gimme room

There are them as love all of Carnival. Them as would reject it all. And then there’s everyone else in between. This group includes those who want a different sort of mas, more brass and those who just need a good kick to get out there. Some are none of these. Some want the goods but can’t find a space that lets them feel safe and like they can be themselves. For no good reason, “Melda” is not a popular name these days. I can’t even be sure it was popular when Sparrow decided to vilify someone by that name in 1966. (I said there was no good reason, not no reason at all.) This season, Mical Teja is back at his work of righting the wronged women of song by putting one Melda at the heart of his Tabanca. Ding Dong’s Throwback is a good song and ostensibly the theme of Carnival 2025. There’s a strong back-in-times vibe this year. Songs and sounds that properly blur the distinctions some listeners (and purists) like to make between calypso and soca. I have always taken against a hard differentiation, so this feels like a very reassuring moment. There was a time when I feted from the Wednesday before Carnival straight to las’ lap. All day, all night. That was a real time in my life. Not any time recently, but there really was such a time, I’m not imagining it. I didn’t take well to being instructed when I was at school or anywhere else. But in those days I blissfully took all directives from SuperBlue. I got something and waved, put up a hand or rag, jumped and rolled as per dictate. That was from a time that people – I don’t know, say, Bunji, for instance – like to recall. I don’t know if all those fetes were safe in the way we’ve come to distinguish between nice, safe fetes and the ones we want to avoid. From everything I’ve read and heard, I would have felt safe at Hard Fete. Regret is my most ferocious Carnival monster. This is what you get from locking yourself out of the world. You miss out on the things you most crave. I don’t know if this is a younger me talking or now-me, but the same way I went wherever SuperBlue went, now I’m prepared to go whither Bunji and Fay-Ann go. The whole family tree is not lost on me. Do I unsecretly want to be adopted into the Lyons family? Possibly. Nor is that the most ridiculous thing you’re going to hear in this story. I once lived next door to Super and never gathered the courage to talk to him, let alone interview him with the depth I’d like to. That has to be more absurd than just wanting to become a Lyons. With Carnival as with the rest of life, sometimes there is a thing you want and a hesitation or fear that stops you from going after it. In between is likely half the mas tabanca stories you’ve heard or have. People are into Shadow this year. In Bet Meh, double M says, “move it left to right like the Winston Bailey.” Voice’s Higher uses the chorus from Wave It, an atypical Shadow song in its crowd-participation call. Since last year was the fiftieth anniversary of Bassman, I’m not sure what’s happening. A day late and a dollar short? There’s something about the music this year that says it’s my time. And yet not. Because not everyone finds comfort in a frenetic crowd. I’ve met others like me. I’ve always believed there is a Carnival for everyone. The road may be your thing. North Stand, Grand Stand, all-inclusive, cooler, pan, concerts, re-enactments, traditional mas, TV – we’re not lacking in experiences if we want to have one. Some people want no Carnival. That’s fine too. But if you want and can’t, it’s a terrible place to be. It’s one thing to feel uncomfortable or unsafe in any given place – that’s bad enough – but what about feeling uncomfortable in your own skin? We’re a reasonably judgy people. We like clear lines about who fits where and why. Why? We need room for everyone. We need to banish the idea that this is our only release and it’s a limited edition. We only need to make space for it. For everyone who wants it. This throwback season should have been mine. It’s not. Be safe and sane out there. Remember to talk to your doctor or therapist if you want to know more about what you read here. In many cases, there’s no single solution or diagnosis to a mental health concern. Many people suffer from more than one condition. The post Gimme room appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.