RED, WHITE AND BLUE FEATHERS IN THE SUMMER RAINByTola Dabiri

Red,whiteandbluefeathers in the summer rain

TheWindrushgeneration have reinvigorated the annualsummerCarnival seasonin theUK.Over thepast50 yearsof growing community integration,Carnival has ithasbecomesomething uniquely British.

Caribbean Carnival is a vibrant,annual,reminder of the contribution that Caribbean migration has made to Britain. Carnival has become not only a celebrationofCaribbeanculture, but over the years it has come representBlackBritishculture,and morerecentlytheculturaldiversity in British society,as more and people from outside of the Caribbean community take part in Carnivals across the country. In fact the development of Caribbean Carnival is also the development of multicultural Britain,and British Caribbean Carnival heritage is taking its placein thenationalstory.Often misinterpreted as an excuse for aparty,CaribbeanCarnivalstores the culture and heritage of the Caribbean community. Although Carnival has a longtraditionintheUK,inmany areasannualCarnivalprocessions had gone into steep decline by the 1950s and 1960s,a result of therapidpostwarsocialchanges. The Caribbean Carnivals which have developed were not simply an extension or replacement of these;the founding Carnival pioneers saw an opportunity for thenewCaribbeancommunities to combat homesickness and respond to the distressing levels ofracismandexclusionwhich were encountered every day, through their masquerading traditions.Carnival became a means of political resistance to thishostileenvironmentincities across the UK such as Leeds, Derby,Huddersfield and London. ForArthurFrance,IanCharles and the founders of LeedsWest IndianCarnival,Carnivalwasaway for the Caribbean communities to demonstrate to a sceptical city Council andWest Midlands PolicethataBlackledorganisation wasabletodeliveralargeoutdoor event and had the abilities to make a successful contribution to the city.The Carnival street parade is now the biggest one day street festival in Europe. Derby Caribbean Carnival was begun in 1975 by the members ofDerbyWestIndianCommunity Association,asawayofpromoting community cohesion in the city. Over the past 42 years,this nationally recognised annual eventishighlyvaluedbythecity. In Notting Hill,the Carnival activities began in response to a racist murder,and took to the streets as an expression Black of resistance. In British popular culture, CaribbeanCarnivalhasdisplaced existingCarnivaltraditionsinmany areas.Such notable exceptions of surviving traditional English Carnivals such the centuries old BridgwaterCarnivalandSouthend Carnival,now regularly invite CaribbeanCarnivalgroupstotake part in their events.Over the past 50 years,Carnival has come to symbolise Caribbean,Black British,and now multicultural Britishculture,eventotheextent that Clary Sandly’s design was included in the current British passport.Carnival has become an opportunity for everyone to celebrate their culture and masqueradingtraditions.Bolivians, Brazilian,South Asian and Polish groups have become regular sights in Caribbean Carnivals across the country,and Luton International Carnival and Northampton Carnival actively encourage participation in the procession from communities across the community.In these times of shifting identities and uncertain futures,the ability of Carnival to unify communities willbecomeevenmoreimportant. However,Carnivalhasalways had an uneasy relationship with authority,and is becoming increasingly under pressure as traditional routes become gentrified,security and policing becomes more restrictive,and theculturalimportanceofCarnival becomesincreasinglyundermined by commercial exploitation.It is how Carnivalists and the Caribbean community respond to these challenges,which will determine whether Carnival

in the summer rain

thrives or simply survives in the next 70 years. Butthevalueandimportance ofCarnivalisbeginningtoreceive wider recognition.Like many other areas of Black history and culture,Carnival is now beginning to attract serious academic attention.Researchers include Emily Zobel Marshall at Leeds Beckett University and my own PhD research into the oral traditionandintangibleheritage of Caribbean Carnival.This work builds on that of RuthThomsett and Celia Burgess Macey.There is also a growing collection of Carnival archives,including the digital archive at the UK Centre forCarnivalArts,theRuthThomsett and AnselWong collections at Black Cultural Archives,and the Cy Grant collection at London Metropolitan Archives. As we celebrate the 70th anniversaryofWindrush,weshould also celebrate the wonderful contribution that Carnival has made to British culture.Carnival continuestoembodytheresilience and resistance of the Black community in Britain,whilst remaining a store of Caribbean culture and heritage.British Caribbean Carnival has become a place where we can all belong.

Tola Dabiri has worked in the cultural sector since 1995 and is currently a PhD researcher atLeedsBeckettUniversity, lookingat theoraltraditionandintangible heritage of Carnival. TolamanagedtheHLFfundedCarnival ArchiveProject,whichdevelopedadigital archiveaboutcarnivalintheEastofEngland (www.carnivalarchives.org.uk) A long standinginterest in BlackHistoryresearchbeganin2002,whenToladevelopedand wroteThe Spark!,anexhibitionandaccompanyingbookletabout Blackinventors,scientistsanddoctorsforBrentLibrarieschildren’s service.Tolahasworkedat theMuseums,LibrariesandArchives Council,TheNationalArchivesandlibraryservicesacrossLondon. AlongwithherPhD,Tolaalsoaconsultantintheculturalsector, specialisinginproject management,partnershipdevelopment and fundraising.

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