Young children exposed to carnival experience through Tropicana and CAG mini mas' camp

August 2, 2022

Introduced to carnival costume making a year ago, Chikezie Solan went a step further this year.

He made the major part of his and was chosen ‘King’ at the second annual two-week mini mas’ camp organized by the Caribana Arts Group (CAG) and Tropicana Community Services Organization (TCSO).

Solan was one of four mentees that worked with designer Deborah Chang Kit Minott to produce their costumes. He spent a week at Carnival Nationz mas’ camp assisting Martin Scott-Pascall with making costumes for his children’s section.

Martin Scott-Pascall (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

His costume represented a chief who is the leader of his community.

“I was so happy to be given an opportunity to be interactive with deciding how to add to the headpiece,” said the 14-year-old whose parents migrated from Jamaica and Guyana.

CAG member Amah Harris suggested that Solan be ‘King’.

Amah Harris (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

“He is so strong in his discipline and general interest in carnival and wanting to know more about it,” the theatre producer, who is preparing a documentary focusing on the history of carnival, said. “He also asked to be part of a mas’ camp this year. I promised him that I would do that and he was in Martin’s section.”

Calypsonian Oneika Lewis, 18, was selected ‘Queen’.

Oneika Lewis (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

She is the daughter of Otis Lewis, also a calypsonian, whose sobriquet is Taurus.

“I am so honoured to be the Queen, but the thing that I am most proud of is that I learnt about different wire bending techniques which is something I was never exposed to before,” said the graduate of the Pass the Torch School of Calypso Music founded in 2005 by the late Dick Lochan and John (Jayson) Perez to teach children in the Malvern community songwriting, rhyming and performing.

Sierra Richards, 21, and 17-year-old Anora Cosbert were the Junior Individual selections.

“This was a great experience, I learnt a lot and I had fun learning about carnival history and costume making,” said Richards whose parents are from Trinidad & Tobago and Philippines. “Maybe, I will be playing mas’ with a band in the future.”

For Cosbert, this was the launching pad for her participation in future carnivals.

“My parents are from Trinidad and so I know a bit about the culture,” she said. “We did a lot of work in the two weeks and I loved how everything came out.”

Mentees Sierra Richards (l), Chikezie Solan, Oneika Lewis and Anora Cosbert (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

Chang Kit Minott designed the mentees costumes and taught all the participants the art of wire bending which is integral to the carnival experience.

A total of 31 young people, the majority connected to Tropicana’s programs, took part in this year’s initiative.

“We are not parasites,” Harris said. “We are here giving on many levels. This is assisting youths in getting an image of self, their significance in this country and their contributions here so they can lift their heads up high.”

Mini mas’ performers (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

Founded in 1980 by the late Robert Brown, TCSO -- United Way’s first Black member agency – was established to serve disadvantaged youth and their families.

Executive Director Raymund Guiste said his organization jumped at the opportunity to provide space for young people to learn about carnival.

Raymund Guiste (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

“This is significant because it has to do with the preservation of our culture,” he added. “It is so critical to pass on this important cultural tradition. We thank the parents for trusting us with their children who worked hard in the last few weeks.”

The camp concluded with a mini mas’ showcase on July 22 outside TCSO’s headquarters in Scarborough.

Deborah Chang Kit Minott (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

CAG Vice-Chair Tashia Antoine noted the ‘jump up’ is the result of a process where the youths worked with Scott-Pascall and Chang Kit Minott to construct costumes.

Tashia Antoine (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

“The main focus was to teach our children about our culture and to instill cultural pride and identity and let them know who they are,” she said. “We are not only trying to show them how to make mas’. We want them to know that this is connected to Emancipation and that this is a celebration of freedom. We are proud of our children and their accomplishments.”

Former CAG Chair Henry Gomez endorsed the summer youth initiative.

Henry Gomez performing ‘55 Still Alive’ (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

“If young people are idle and not engaged in a constructive and creative manner, they tend to drift into directions that are unproductive,” said the retired Toronto District School Board principal who provided entertainment with his song, ‘55 Still Alive’, to mark the Toronto Caribbean Carnival emerald anniversary.

“Encouraging them and providing the means whereby they can develop carnival arts and they can discover skills they might not know they have are important. A lot go into the making of these costumes that tell a story and have meaning. What they learnt in the last two weeks has given them an understanding that carnival is more than just ‘jumping up and wining’’ on Lakeshore Ave. on the day of the parade.”

Former teacher and politician Zanana Akande was the guest speaker.

Zanana Akande (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

“I am extremely happy about this because this didn’t happen when I was a child in Toronto where I was born,” said Canada’s first Black Cabinet Minister. “I didn’t know about Caribana except the odd time when my parents would mention it. These children are learning not only about carnival, but about the fact that we work every day, we push every day for our freedom and rights and, after all of that, we still have energy and time to jump up and be happy. That is the way to do it. They will not be omitted from our history. They will not think of themselves as only dancers and revelers. They will think of themselves as citizens of this country that have brought their culture to it and are sharing it with us all.”

A young reveller at the mini mas’ carnival (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

The camp theme was ‘It takes a Village to Raise a Child’.

“We jointly believe that the heart and soul of a people are its children,” said Harris. “This project delved into the ‘rootedness of culture’, a depth of cultures that have so much to offer when ‘mined’ with a constructive purpose and positive direction.”

As an American in his first year with TCSO, the camp was also a learning experience for youth facilitator Jaison Randall.

Jaison Randall (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

“I am little bit familiar with the Toronto Caribbean Carnival and some Caribbean culture, but getting to know more about the history and what carnival is was eye-opening,” said the former Lead Pastor in Buffalo/Niagara.