Carnival in this Caribbean island, which has 1.4 million residents – mostly descendants of indentured Indians and enslaved Africans — is not a mere imitation of similar celebrations in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans. Instead, it combines African traditions and European pre-Lent festivals with Indian musical rhythms.
It’s not surprising that over the last 200 years, Carnival was not only two days when normal order is turned upside-down, but also an expression of female political opposition.
Bikinis with beads, glitter and ‘bikini mask’
The Caribbean women have taken over Carnival, and this is best seen during the “bikini-mas”. Tens of thousands of women take part in the Carnival mas (masquerade) each year. They “play mas” wearing sequined, feathered, and beaded bikinis in Rio style.
Some fear that Trinidad and Tobago’s historical tradition is dying because bikini masquerades have replaced traditional costumes depicting other times, places and cultures. Traditional mas makers say that imported masquerade style do not make political or artistic statements.
Orange Carnival Masqueraders in Trinidad. Jean-Marc/Jo BeLo/Jhon-John/Reuters
Bikini Mas is a complex phenomena. The growth of bikini mas is directly related to the increase in women’s earnings and economic independence. Affluence and the desire to have a good time are also factors that support this demand. This is also due to the willingness of black and brown women to be seen as beautiful and not just as serious and successful students and workers.
As Dr Sue Ann Barratt, a feminist scholar and mas-player, told me:
Some women are motivated by the desire to be affirmed as women and show that they can be watched but not touched.
Bikini Mas allows women to rebel against the moral restrictions that society and religion place on them. (While allowing men greater sexual freedom.)
Consider, for instance, the lyrics of Destra Garcia’s 2016 hit Lucy, which read: “I was raised as ah good girl. I was always at home. Don’t go anywhere.” “As soon as they introduced me to Carnival, I lost.”
Orlando Octave, a singer from 2017, observed that “Many girls have a man, but [yet] act like they are single. They win like she is single.
The contradictions that Trinidadian women face every day have helped make bikini mas a cultural ritual for a whole generation.
The Original Anti-Slut Shaming
These revelers continue the long-standing tradition in the country of women’s self-affirmation and resistance to subordination. They also renegotiate the rules that govern public space.
Caribbean women have been at the forefront of revolts for centuries, from the 1500s up to the riots that broke out over access to water.
Trinidadian women were playing in Carnival bands long before 1838. They would sometimes cover themselves in mud to express a sexuality that was deemed indecent at the time. Women who participated in public stick fights, a stereotypically masculine activity, would march alongside them.
In the 1800s, these women were known as ” jamettes” from the French diameter. They were considered to be below the line for respectability.
These women of African descent, who were working class, continued the Jamette traditions after abolition. The women often shared backyards to cook, wash clothes, and socialize. They worked in many different trades, from washerwomen to market vendors and sex workers.
The Jamette political movement has influenced Trinidad and Tobago’s modern Carnival and Caribbean Feminism in ways that transcend class, color, religion, and race.
It is as extraordinary as it contradictory. Andrea De Silva
Bikini Mas, which predates by many decades the ” Slut Walks” in Canada and the United States and has contributed to the current women’s resistance against rape culture, is a place where men dominate women and sexual harassment is normalized. In fact, the Caribbean Region is disproportionately affected by sexual violence .
Asami Nagakiya was killed last year during Carnival in Port of Spain. After the mayor of the city suggested that women’s attire and behavior at this annual festival invited abuse, feminism groups demanded his resignation. Young women then came out wearing their bikini-mas costumes in protest.
In the coming months, the #NotAskingForIt Campaign, featuring female workers, students, and bikini players as well as family members, will circulate social media throughout the Caribbean region.