We need to remove politics from carnival

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ali and Associates Mas Troupe, Alister Thomas, believes that to improve the product of carnival, there must be a review of how carnival has been produced in the past.
Stressing that party politics needs to be removed from the annual event, Thomas told OBSERVER media yesterday that carnival has continued to unite the public amidst political divisions.
 “What we need is a serious review [of carnival], to utilise the best human resources we have around and to keep the party politics out,” he said.
“There is nothing that is a greater antidote in uniting the people and creating a harmonious national atmosphere than carnival,” Thomas said, adding that the benefits derived from carnival exceed what comes from any other national product.
Thomas said that there needs to be greater focus on traditional mas, and one of the ways of ensuring the longevity of the country’s culture, was to introduce costume designing in schools, he said.
 “The carnival lovers have diverted into other areas; they love their J’ouvert, their T-shirt Mas and Party Monarch. Those are the areas they are focusing on. Traditional mas is not focused as much,” he said.
Thomas also opined that unless the Ministry of Culture and schools introduce costume design programmes, local costume designing will disappear.
This carnival was the Mas Troupe’s 41st carnival presentation with Ali and Associates winning the 2018 Queen of the Band for the second successive year.
The band also captured the Prince of the Band title and was first runner up in Princess of the Band category.