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A short History of carnival with a touch of Africa
The carnival certainly comes from a mix of cultures and still develops like this. It is a way to get in touch with our roots and a chance to get in touch with each other. © Text and photos: Jacob
Crawfurd (May 2004). This article has been published in:
Links and sources:
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| Copyright © Jacob Crawfurd - crawfurd.dk 1996-2012. All Rights Reserved. |
It
is a common assumption that carnival traditions were brought to colonies
in the New World by Europeans. It is partly true of course, but the inspiration
flowed even stronger from another part of the world. When looking at
today’s street carnivals it is quite clear that ancient African
traditions have had a very strong influence. The history of the carnival
can be viewed from different angles, but one thing is sure: it is a result
of a cross-cultural exchange that started centuries ago.
One track back in time will lead us to the countries in southern Europe,
which have had masquerades and processions as part of their catholic
traditions since Middle Ages. The carnival was connected to religious
events, but the church and rulers had their trouble controlling the masqueraders
from acting immoral (read: “they shouldn’t have too much
fun”). In a period of time it was even strictly forbidden to wear
masks at the carnival in Venice. Still today many carnivals are held
in February, which traditionally is the time of Lent (the word “carnival” means
the equivalent of “goodbye to meat”). The carnivals in Venice,
some parts of Germany and Holland are still celebrated in the European
style.
Most summer carnivals however seems to have other roots even further
back in time and from another continent. Listen to the rhythms; view
the colourful the street parades, the masks and feathers – this
can all be traced back to ancient African festivals, of which many are
still being celebrated. Similar ideas seem to have evolved in different
parts in the world: an event that breaks the daily life with music and
costumes. Like in Europe, the festivities originated from religious events,
celebrations of harvest or in honour of spirits and ancestors. Where
European masks often were meant hide a person’s identity, the African
masks have another purpose: to represent and bring alive some kind of
spirit.
There are many more differences and equalities between the African and
European mask/costume celebrations, but South America and the Caribbean
are the places where traditions finally met and merged to some degree.
Descendants of slaves kept the African traditions alive to keep in touch
with their roots. Europeans brought their religious festivities and masquerades
and added the common label “carnival”. Some places like the
Bahamas actually use their local name “Junkanoo” which surely
has more of an African ring to it. The world map of the greatest carnivals
quite clearly points out where the catholic Europeans settled and met
with slaves from Africa: Brazil, Barbados and Trinidad for instance.
Another example is the Mardi Gras in Louisiana (USA) where French settlers
also met with people of African descent.
The
pictures on this page are from the Copenhagen
Carnival, which was revived in the 90’s with a new and ambitious
profile. The big parades, the children carnival and various concerts
and dance
competition
are the high points of the free annual carnival, which surely has Afro-Caribbean
roots. The Copenhagen carnival has also become the best world
music festival in the country.