Author: Ray Funk

Immerse, Culture, Festivals and Events, Trinidad and Tobago

Walk tall, moko jumbie | Closeup

It’s one of the oldest masquerades in T&T’s Carnival, brought across the Atlantic from West Africa. The moko jumbie tradition once seemed to be dying away, but in recent years a handful of enthusiasts have created a moko jumbie revival, training hundreds of young people in the art of stilt-walking. Ray Funk investigates, and explains the power of these towering figures

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Embark, Film and Television, Literature, Music, Festivals and Events

Word of mouth (November/December 2016)

Get the story Ray Funk explains how an annual storytelling festival captures the imaginations of Caymanians At the end of November each...

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Immerse, Arts, History, People, Trinidad and Tobago

The history of paradise: on Peter Minshall’s Paradise Lost

“What you wear is the work of art. You play it.” — Peter Minshall   It was the masquerade band that changed things, reshaping...

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Immerse, Festivals and Events, United States

When mas was mas: Brooklyn Carnival

Brooklyn Carnival has grown to be one of the biggest events of the summer in New York City, drawing millions to Eastern Parkway on Labour...

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Culture, Festivals and Events, Trinidad and Tobago

Rituals of resistance: the Canboulay Riots re-enactment

At 5 am on the Friday before Carnival, on a dark street in downtown Port of Spain, over 100 performers re-enact and celebrate the Canboulay...

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Culture, Festivals and Events, History, United Kingdom, Caribbean Diaspora

Notting Hill Carnival: Mas and the mother country

Fifty years ago, England’s first real Trinidad-style Carnival took place – indoors, in the middle of winter, at St Pancras Town Hall....

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Culture, Music, People, Trinidad and Tobago

Beryl McBurnie: the flowering of La Belle Rosette

In the spring of 1941, Beryl McBurnie, under her stage name of La Belle Rosette, started to feature in the New York press. From then until...

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Culture, Music, Arts, Trinidad and Tobago

Golden Hands: Trinidad’s band of gold

Trinidad and Tobago’s steelbands focus each year on Panorama, the national steelband competition. But some bands are more adventurous....

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Funding provided by the 11th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme Direct Support Grants Programme.
The views expressed on this website are those of the the authors and do not reflect those of the Direct Support Grants Programme.

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