Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
This will be a hybrid, live-streamed and recorded event. Links will be sent out to all participants for online engagement and tickets can be booked on Eventbrite
Exploring the Role of Women in Diasporic Caribbean Carnival Cultures
We interrogate the often-underappreciated labour of carnival that falls on the shoulders of women (sewing, making, costuming) as well as scrutinising the perception of female body on the road. We will also consider what are the politics of so-called ‘pretty mas’ and what does it represent, both inside and outside the Trinidad carnival space.
The symposium takes place two days after Leeds West Indian Carnival, the first Caribbean-style street carnival in Europe, and Notting Hill carnival in London. Fresh from the carnival space, we will be inspired to examine the complexities and tensions inherent in this vital cultural phenomena.
This is a symposium where the academic and artistic collide and entwine, so as well as academic papers there will be theatre, dancing, poetry and mas making.
Series description
This is the last in a series of three international workshops (Trinidad, Feb 2022, California, May 2022) examining the role of women and carnival – based on a successful AHRC research networking bid and led by Emily Zobel Marshall, Cathy Thomas and Adeola Dewis. The focus for this workshop will be ‘Joy, Labour and Play’.
More information about this event is available on the Leeds Beckett research centre for the culture and the arts website
Our keynote speaker is carnival expert Dr. Samantha A. Noël, Associate Professor of Art History at Wayne State University, US, a specialist in the ‘Pretty Mas’ aesthetic, delivering on ‘The Jaycees Queen Competition and the Pretty Mas' Aesthetic’. Kim Vaz-Deville, Professor of Education at Xavier University of Louisiana and expert on the Baby Dolls of New Orleans, will share her curatorial experience of bringing Baby Doll mas into the exhibition space. Carnival Designer and Artist Rhian Kempadoo-Miller will exhibit ‘Danca e Luta,’ her carnival-inspired artwork and examine the craft of carnival in a panel discussion. Cathy Thomas (University of California, Santa Barbara), Adeola Dewis (Laku Neg) Adanna Kai Jones (Bowdoin College, US) Emily Zobel Marshall (Leeds Beckett University) and Tola Dabiri will bring their expertise on the gendered, literary, cross-cultural, performative, psychological and African-rooted aspects of carnivals and discuss the potent, transformative power of mas.
Rope Jab masquerader ‘Whip Princess’ Renella Alfred, Activist, Baby Doll expert and mas performer Amanda McIntyre and Poet, Playwright and Cultural Activist Eintou Springer will be joining us online from Trinidad to share their philosophies and practices of mas.
There will be a performance of a traditional mas inspired theatre piece by Actor and Director Leah Francis, Co-founder of Black and Asian Theatre company and ‘Speak Woman Speak’, and a discussion on the artistic creation and female labour of carnival from the Mama Dread Masqueraders Leeds West Indian Carnival troupe.Author, Poet and Theatre-maker Khadijah Ibrahiim and Leeds-based poet Abdullah Adekola will also share their poetry with us.
There will also be a carnival dance workshop and discussion with Lorina Gumbs and Leeds carnival band AnonyMas – to get us challenging our preconceptions and out of our seats and wining! This is the third symposium in the AHRC-funded Women in Carnival global network coordinated by Emily Zobel Marshall, Cathy Thomas and Adeola Dewis (Women in Carnival project Advisor). Our last two symposiums took place in Trinidad (Feb 2022) and California (May 2022). Come and join us for our grand finale in Leeds in discourse and dance!
| 09.00 |
Registration |
| 09.30 |
OPENING PLENARY Welcoming address by Emily Zobel Marshall, Leeds Beckett University Opening remarks by Cathy Thomas, University of California at Santa Barbara and Adéọlá Dewis, University of South Wales |
| 09.45 |
KEYNOTE ADDRESS Samantha Noel (Wayne State University) ‘The Jaycees Queen Competition and the Pretty Mas' Aesthetic’ |
| 10.45 | Break |
| 11.00 |
Dialogue 1: Women in Carnival: Carnival Art and Artistry Speakers: Rhian Kempadoo-Miller, Stacey Leigh Ross and Janice Fournillier, Adéọlá Dewis and Marina Poppa |
| 12.15 |
Dialogue 2: Women Preserving Mas Speakers: Kim Vaz Deville on the community and curatorial demands of curating an archive of predominantly black working-class women who perform New Orleans Baby Doll. Tola Dalbiri on the important role of women in preserving/transferring the intangible cultural heritage of Mas and creating ‘carnival in a box’ |
| 13.00 |
LUNCH Buffet, Ground Floor, The Rose Bowl |
| 14.00 |
Dialogue 3: Mas Activism Speakers: Eintou Springer, Renella Alfred and Amanda McIntyre |
| 15.00 |
Workshop: The Politics of ‘Prettymas’ and Body Positivity Dance workshop and discussion With Lorina Gumbs and AnonyMas |
| 16.00 | Break |
| 16.15 |
Dialogue 4: Carnival: Female Ritual and Labour Speakers: Mama Dread Masqueraders troupe and LWIC mas makers and performers. Short poetry reading by Abdullah Adekola, Carnival City Project |
| 17.30 |
Poetry and Performance: It's Carnival Performance by Khadijah Ibrihim. Prose reading by Cathy Thomas. Theatre Performance: ‘It's Carnival’ with Leah Francis, Tshayi Hercules and Ginalda Tavares-Manuel |
| 19.30 |
CLOSING PLENARY Closing Remarks by Emily, Cathy, and Adéọlá |
