The Old Yard, DCFA’s grand celebration of traditional Carnival, history and culture, fills the gayelle once more
“Is Old Yard time again.”
These words by host Louis McWilliams, filled the “Gayelle” on February 12, 2023. That afternoon, the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) in the Faculty of Humanities and Education held their first The Old Yard after the long pandemic hiatus.
The Old Yard is a passageway into traditional Carnival culture, meticulously designed to highlight the creative and national diversity of T&T’s history through folklore and music.
Entering the grounds, there was a sense of nostalgia as the sound of vintage Kaiso fills the Yard. Patrons chipped to their seats as they indulged in songs from Lord Christo, The Mighty Sparrow, and more. Held at the Open Campus Quadrangle at Gordon Street, The Old Yard offered a blend of cultural history in the style of a heritage fair. People of all ages, foreign visitors along with carnival enthusiasts, came together to get a taste of “ole time mas” from 19th century Trinidad.
As the sound of Mighty Sparrow's Congo Man boomed through the air, the Jamettes and Babydolls emerged, interacting with the crowd, trying to woo and cause trouble. A Babydoll approached several men she claimed to be her child’s father while a Jamette went around striking conversations with the crowd. Following this, the Dame Lorraines’ made an appearance in their colourful dresses, hoisting their umbrellas and dancing around the stands. As the performances went on, Blue Devils, Jab Jabs, Midnight Robbers, Moko Jumbies, and Gorillas made their way into the Yard. They were followed by stick fighters, Indian Mas, and the Pierrot Grenade.
“The Old Yard is essentially a traditional masquerade experience where people can come and engage in memory,” says Dr Jo-anne Tull, Project Director of The Old Yard, and an academic coordinator and lecturer at the DCFA.
The event is a production of the DCFA’s Carnival Studies Unit, although the department’s performers and artists from other units play an integral part. Carnival Studies focuses on creative enterprise management and entrepreneurship, festival studies, and mas design and Carnival research.
In addition to Dr Tull, several other people helped orchestrate The Old Yard. These include Jessel Murray (Head of DCFA), Joseph Drayton (Production Administrative Assistant), Tamara Da Breo (Adjunct Lecturer/Trainer), Xavier Kistow-Davis (Visual Arts Director/Final Year BA Student), and Peter Craig (Construction Lead), assisted by Ayinde Chinloulou, Sheldon Holder, and the students.
The students and DCFA staff are the masterminds behind the festival who make the performances engaging and unforgettable. Throughout the years, students and staff have made the space for performance displays and a way for The UWI to show its love, appreciation, and respect for traditional Carnival.
“Old Yard is a very important cultural tradition in Trinidad. I don't think a lot of people are aware of all the old mas characters that are here. It's a good learning ground,” said Kayah Alfred, a first-year student, who portrayed a Jamette.
Amaiya Yeates, a first year student who performed as both Miss Mary and Madame Gwo Bunda, said that her favourite part of The Old Yard is “getting to interact with the audience and make them laugh”.
As the worst of the pandemic break had passed, Dr Tull and team were faced with challenges due to the COVID restrictions. She said, “The Old Yard is an experience for us internally, in terms of building our capacities to collect heritage, to store heritage, and to find ways to present the heritage in innovative ways. So, it was challenging to get it all done within a crunch time.”
She added that funding proved to be another difficulty because of the short season and the numerous competing interests. The DCFA aims to get a signature sponsor to facilitate the showcasing of the full slate of the masquerade.
Nonetheless, the DCFA is able to look with pride upon the execution of this year’s festival. They also continue to look forward to the future of The Old Yard.
