Jab molassie are among the wildest masquers seen in trinidad today, and one of the few traditional mas styles still actively played. Images of devils, jab molasie, moko jumbies and bats are the figures that inhabit the. November 20 heralded the start of an exciting new phase of creativity for dominique with her participation in tedx port of spain, and the birth of the new production company that she and jamaican writer and director of jab molassie, patricia cumper have created, strongback productions. The film shows charles as he is exposed to the sights, sounds, and movements of jab molassie in paramin and port of spain, highlighting the myriad influences that inspired this composition. The script was first written by caitlyn kamminga in 2010 who was soon after introduced to dominique le gendre. Provided to youtube by the orchard enterprises jab molassie etienne charles carnival. The jab molassie the name means molasses devil in french patois. The 2020 trinidad and tobago carnival dates begins on monday, 24 th february and ends on tuesday, 25 th february, 2020.
In this remarkable book, browne turns his caribbeanist photographic gaze on images of mas. The paramin blue devils at adam smith square, trinidad. Carnival, along with steel pan music, the traditional music of carnival, is one of the things our region is famous for. The costume consists of short pants or pants cut off at the knee, and a mask and horns. It looks like we dont have any plot summaries for this title yet. The jab molassie is a character played in trinidads carnival. That it is a rhetoric is clear from brownes essays that theorize, meditate on, and historize carnival.
Although different islands have different carnival origin stories, carnival is a festival with both african and european origins. It is believed that the jab molassie was introduced in trinida around 1795 by the french creoles who fled from grenada to trinidad around 1795 in the wake of the collapse of fedons rebellion, taking carnival with them. The visitor or participant on empire boulevard in brooklyn comes upon jab molassie and devil bands and characters, ole mas portrayals, and elements of mardi gras, all compressed into the space that is the jouvert. His portrayal is the grotesque character called the jab molassie. The week before carnival is called carnival week and that. This very context is the essence of the trinidadian jab molassie, molassie come from the french patois. The jab molassie would carry chains, and wear locks and keys around his waist, and carry a pitch fork. Trinidad and tobago carnival is technically only two day celebration that is held annually the monday and tuesday prior to ash wednesday which is the beginning of lent. Until recently, trinidad had few touristoriented hotels or. This was very helpful for teaching the history of the jab jab in carnival.
The whole body is smeared with grease or mud, red, green or blue paint. He also plodded along the grass by pivoting his foot. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading high mas. Color in the likes of dame lorraine, jab molassie and fancy sailor, among others, all to say farewell to the flesh in true carnival fashion. World premiere november 6th9th at the little carib theatre. Bill waiser, 2016 governor general award winner for world we have lost. The jab jab has a thick whip of plaited hemp which he swings and cracks threateningly.
Carnival and the poetics of caribbean culture explores caribbean identity through photography, criticism, and personal narrative. Jab jabs and jab molassie are carnival characters that represent the devil and his molasses. Jab molassie dates back to sugar plantation days when recently freed slaves would daub themselves in molasses, a thick black sugar byproduct, as a. Vibrant intro to oldtime mas the trinidad guardian. Melasus sic was first seen in print in 1582 in a portuguese book heralding the conquest of the west indies. The subliminal roaring and screaming on the opening jab molassie could be the sound of festivity, but equally the cries of torment. A wide variety of costumes called mas depicting traditional trinidadian carnival characters are seen throughout the trinidad and tobago carnival. Due to the jab jabs history of combat, as well as the use of a fol, or heart shaped targetcostume piece on the chest, we can link the jab to stick fighters. Now, mary bishop has brought together stories and photographs in a delightful new history book that explains why the community deserves to be known as saskatchewans friendly city and why people proudly claim moose jaw as their home. Trinidadborn, julliardtrained trumpet player and composer etienne charles was fascinated by jab molassie, the blue, firebreathing carnival characters, and the people who become them for carnival.
The more popular hotel options for tourists are the hyatt regency, hilton hotel, and. Photos and research courtesy the carnival institute of trinidad and tobago citt. This type of devil is often smeared with tar, grease, lard. Traditional carnival characters linkedin slideshare. Carnival and the poetics of caribbean culture kindle edition by browne, kevin adonis.
Nadia was 1 of 6 black canadian writers to watch in 2018 from the age of six years old, nadia l hohn began writing stories, drawing, and making books. Jab molassie was conceptualized and composed by etienne charles as part of his latest album, carnival. An ethnography of schooling and festival unpublished ph. There are several quite different varieties of devils in the carnival. He wears wings, horns, has a wire tail and carries a pitch fork and usually strikes fear in the hearts of both young and old. Thus, as we celebrate the 20th celebration the rwandan genocide, in the light of the jewish holocaust, the albanian genocide, the ongoing actions of muslim killing christians and christians killing muslims.
Both during slavery and after emancipation, black africans who had been forced into slavery in the caribbean preserved their. This is the prelude to a colourful presentation of oldtime carnival characters including bookman, jab jab, jab molassie. When northerners think of the caribbean, trinidad isnt usually the first place that comes to mind. The jab molassi or molasses devil is one of the oldest forms of devil mas. Jab jab is an artistic metaphoric expression of freedom. After emancipation in 1838, freed slaves combined african culture with colonial influence to create characters that parodied the upperclass customs and costumes of carnival. The costume consists of cutoff shorts, horns, chains with locks and keys and a pitchfork. Carnival and the poetics of caribbean culture is a gorgeous rhetoric, a poetic, visually stunning, and necessary book. Etienne charles, however, takes the listener on a musical and cultural journey that moves from carnivals past to present, and thematically from dark to light. These are 2 forms of devil mas played at carnival time. List of trinidad and tobago carnival character costumes. The ubiquitous jab molassie, of the jouvert of the carnivals of the caribbean, stamp their mark on celebrations in brooklyn with their costumed portrayal, the rhythms that have. It was not long before collaboration was on the cards to bring kammingas brainchild to the stage through le gendres music. Taking a sophisticated and unapologetically subjective caribbean point of view, the author delves into masa key feature of trinidad performanceas an.
The jab molassie is one of several varieties of devil mas played in trinidad and tobago carnival. See more ideas about class projects, carnival and trinidad. At the time his photograph was taken, the jab molassie displayed the devilish antics by ravaging through a bag of popcorn and consuming a lunch cardboard box. It looks like we dont have a synopsis for this title yet. The wild indian mas depicts the indigenous people of grenada, the caribs. With highquality art paper and layflat binding to keep the pages open while you color, youll get to experience the oneofakind carnival like no other. Whether through directly ribald characters like the jab molassie, pisenlit piss in bed, or subtler interventions layered in the fancy sailors and even the pretty mas, carnival has always provided a site where the expression of critical subversion, satire, and dissent could take place with the impunity offered by the act of masking. He went to the village of paramin on carnival monday, to watch them competeonly to dive in and start playing the biscuit tin along with them. Trinidad and tobago a traditional character in the trinidad and tobago carnival dressed as a devil, mostly naked and covered in molasses or grease and a colourful dye. They perform rhythmic devil dances to beats produced from the tin pans. Over the years, characters would rise and drop in popularity, and many. Just click the edit page button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the plot summary submission guide.
Book list caribbean carnival in books for children. In the preface of her book, the carnival suite, virginia pacifiquemarshall says, it is hoped that this book will create greater interest in our traditional mas, and serve as a catalyst for discussion and research. Tallpree has created a song called jab jab nation, but actually only shows jab molassie in the music video. A jab molassie a greeting post card thebookmann feinin. The dancing and performance of the jab molassie is often accompanied by steel drums as opposed to the tonal steel pan made of found items, such as fired biscuit tins. A little history of the jab molassie blue devil jab is the french patois for diable devil, and molassie is the french patois for melasse molasses. Jab means devil and molassie means molasses in french patois. The history of the character is based on slavery and the production of molasses. Overall winner of the 2019 ocm bocas prize for caribbean literature high mas. Outside the elaborate devil band, with its ranks and orders of demonic creatures, other forms of devil mas have their own traditions. These whips can reduce the costumes of other jab jabs to threads. The african slaves were perceived by their owners to. Trinidad and tobago carnival the greatest street parade.
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