The Iyanola Council for the Advancement of Rastafari (ICAR) Thursday proposed that all carnival activities, including community carnivals, be moved to the month of July in order to place a greater focus on Emancipation Month.
“Everything has its designation,” ICAR President, Aaron Alexander stated recently, hinting that with carnival activities taking place during the month of August, the spotlight is somewhat taken away from Emancipation Month.
“Carnival should not really be stretched into August. We have the national parade usually (on) Monday and Tuesday in the middle of July so we are suggesting that all the community carnivals take place prior to the national parade so the national parade would be what really brings down the curtains on carnival,” Alexander stated.
He also said that community carnivals should be featured in the main event, adding that “having gone through their carnival you could probably have in the national parade a Dennery segment, Vieux Fort segment”, etcetera.
With many visitors on island this time of year, it would be ideal for them to witness Emancipation Month activities as it unfolds, Alexander noted.
According to him, “the tourists who are here during the month of August let them now take in the Emancipation activities because carnival has its own set of creatives and Emancipation has (its) own set of creatives that has to be showcased as well. During the month of Emancipation, you showcase the persons who have Emancipation at heart; everybody must get their time to shine.”
Saint Lucia’s Emancipation Day Celebrations started on July 18th this year and will end on August 31st. Carnival activities still overshowed Emancipation celebrations when it started, however, as multiple carnival events were held during that season. (The island is recognized as a carnival hub, after all).
Gros Islet Carnival concluded only recently, with the event being held last week – on August 3rd and 4th.
Nonetheless, Emancipation Day (which was celebrated in the community of Soufriere this year) holds profound significance not just for Saint Lucia but for communities around the world, marking a pivotal moment in history when the enslaved were freed and began their journey towards liberty and equality.
The celebrations are “not just a symbol of slavery but triumph and victory over an oppressive system,” a statement from government noted.
“This is the third year of our emancipation initiative Enkindling our Consciousness and our hope is that as a nation, we continue to learn to embrace our heritage for future generations,” it read in part.