Carnival at 50
Photos that celebrate the 50th year of Leeds West Indian Carnival
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Carnival at 50 Photos that celebrate the 50th year of Leeds West Indian Carnival. Š 2017 Chapeltown Arts All rights reserved. No part of this e book can be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission in writing to Chapeltown Arts Ltd. Photographic copyright remains with the photographers as credited. Design & Layout: Rob Jameson Editor: Chapeltown Arts www.chapeltownarts.org.uk @chapeltownarts
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Introduction The photographs in this publication are images taken of the Leeds West Indian Carnival 2017, marking the 50th anniversary of this prestigious event. Chapeltown Arts is proud to be publishing its first e-book. The photos reflect the vibrancy, the colours and the celebration of carnival 2017 which was possibly the biggest street festival in Leeds to date. Something we are pleased to be part of. The photos are taken by amateur and professionals alike and were donated to Chapeltown Arts as part of our Carnival Photo Project funded by Leeds Inspired and supported by East Street Arts. The quotes dotted throughout the book were an aspect of Carnival Word Junction, our 4th Chapeltown Word Junction event. The audience was asked to write down a sentence or words to describe their experience of Carnival 2017. We have included these writings in the book. We hope you enjoy browsing the book as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
Sandra Whyles Managing Director Chapeltown Arts Ltd
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Foreword This book of photographs celebrates the 50th year of Leeds West Indian Carnival, the first authentic Caribbean street Carnival in Europe. The carnival has enjoyed a strong relationship with the city’s civic institutions, yet remained firmly in the hands of the Caribbean community in Leeds. It is without a doubt the community – the people – that have kept carnival alive and thriving for half a century with their passion, dedication, artistic skills and time. It is for this reason that the photographs in the book are by the people – the participants, revelers and creators of carnival – and celebrates their vital contribution to the extraordinarily event. Founder Arthur France says he started carnival in 1967 in Leeds to help deal with the sense of “crippling homesickness” he and the Caribbean community felt as they pined for the cultural richness of their Caribbean islands. There was also a radical and political motivation in creating carnival aimed at confronting British racial prejudices: “I decided it would be run by West Indians, full stop”, says Arthur, “we West Indians were always labeled as not being capable of running things,” he insists, “and we’ve proved them wrong.” Many of Arthur’s friends at the time thought he was crazy to try and start a carnival, his neighbours swore he couldn’t do it, and the police needed some serious persuading — but his persistence and passion have clearly paid off.
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The city of Leeds has taken carnival into its heart and every year more and more spectators and participants of all backgrounds and ethnicities come together to celebrate this unique cultural phenomenon. This year’s 50th anniversary carnival was spectacular with crowds of 60,000 attending on the day. Participant’s danced on the streets harder and longer with boundless enthusiasm and the crowds were dazzled by the beautiful costumes, movement and palpable energy. Unusually for Leeds, the sun shone brightly for the whole two days as if the natural world was also collaborating with the people to make this carnival special. This book of photographs by Chapletown Arts, an organisation at the heart of the community, captures that dynamism, vitality and joy of the 2017 ‘mas’. It is a testament to how the 2017 carnival was a triumphant celebration of both Caribbean culture in Leeds and a ‘mas movement’ which transcended the cultural, racial, and economic boundaries which too often shape our modern world.
Dr. Emily Zobel Marshall Course Director for English Literature BA (Hons) and MA Senior Lecturer in Post-colonial Literature Leeds Beckett University
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page 6 | Emily Zobel Marshall page 7 | Emily Zobel Marshall
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page 8 | Jonathan Turner page 9 | Sandra Whyles
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page 10 | Jonathan Turner page 11 | Alex Clarke
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Family, cohesion, power, music, art, creativity Max
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page 13 | Sandra Whyles
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page 14 | Sandra Whyles page 15 | Peter Donaghue
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page 16 | Max Farrar page 17 | Jonathan Turner
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Wonderful, lots of energy. Great family atmosphere. Fantastic costumes! Barbara
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page 19 | Sandra Whyles
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page 20 | Jonathan Turner page 21 | Guy Farrar, Jonathan Turner
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page 22 | Sean Tunnicliffe page 23 | Sean Tunnicliffe
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page 24 | Elaine Barrow page 25 | Sandra Whyles
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page 26 | Sandra Whyles page 27 | Jane Cusworth
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People, colour, freedom of expression, fusion of old and new. Ancestral memories and future hopes united. Moving forward. Chapeltown celebration of life. Carol
page 28 | Jonathan Turner
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page 30 | Danny Friar page 31 | Jonathan Turner, Elaine Barrow
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page 32 | Jane Cusworth page 33 | Jonathan Turner
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Freedom, diversity, enjoyment, colourful, educational. Bringing people together. The fun the children have, education in schools, people should be aware of the history and true meaning of carnival.
Raymond
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page 35 | Sandra Whyles
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page 36 | Jonathan Turner, Sean Tunnicliffe, Sandra Whyles page 37 | Sean Tunnicliffe
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page 38 | Peter Donaghue page 39 | Max Farrar
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Emancipation from slavery. Unity among all peoples. Celebration of freedom, changes and bonding Paulette
page 40 | Sandra Whyles
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page 42 | Peter Donaghue page 43 | Peter Donaghue
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page 44 | Jane Cusworth, Jonathan Turner page 45 | Sandra Whyles
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There was no way I wasn't going to be around this year. You are only 50 once! Carnival has always been about the masks, costumes and makeup. Gorgeous. Brilliant. 50 years is an achievement. Ms Wilson
page 46 | Guy Farrar, Peter Donaghue
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page 48 | Jonathan Turner page 49 | Jonathan Turner
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page 50 | Jonathan Turner page 51 | Jonathan Turner
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50 years on and it still retains an authenticity, and welcoming inclusive atmosphere that’s rooted in the Chapeltown community. Tim
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page 53 | Jonathan Turner
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page 54 | Guy Farrar, Sean Tunnicliffe page 55 | Max Farrar
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page 56 | Sandra Whyles, Jonathan Turner page 57 | Jonathan Turner, Elaine Barrow
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Community in its fullest sense, coming together. Sense of African history coming into the consciousness of non-African race with skill and joy. MM
page 58 | Sean Tunnicliffe, Elaine Barrow
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page 60 | Sean Tunnicliffe page 61 | Elaine Barrow
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page 62 | Sandra Whyles page 63 | Sandra Whyles
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Enjoyment, and experience of life, hard work, remembrance of the ancestors, Fun, laughter, seeing family you didn’t get to see. Tessa
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page 65 | Sean Tunnicliffe
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page 66 | Jonathan Turner page 67 | Jonathan Turner
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page 68 | Max Farrar page 69 | Sandra Whyles
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I follow the crowd, funneling into the park. Rum & coke - warmth and bubbles of excitement start to dance through my body. Good food, soul food, so much choice. The parade lasts an hour, such hard work to produce this flood of colour. Brown skin pouring out of sequined tops and gold lamĂŠ bottoms in celebration. All peoples, all ages, we are happy together. Liam
page 70 | Peter Donaghue, Jonathan Turner
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page 72 | Sandra Whyles, Jonathan Turner page 73 | Jonathan Turner
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Togetherness, laughter, work hard, late nights, making costumes, no sleep, worrying about the weather, dancing, meeting old friends and family coming from far and wide, making memories, a time line of our life, me and my sister. Valerie & Ramona
page 74 | Peter Donaghue
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page 76 | Max Farrar page 77 | Sandra Whyles
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page 78 | Jonathan Turner, Guy Farrar page 79 | Lorraine Millington, Peter Donaghue
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page 80 | Sandra Whyles page 81 | Sandra Whyles
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Joy and surprise of bystanders, vibrant colours of hibiscus flowers. Ruth
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page 83 | Jonathan Turner
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page 84 | Sandra Whyles page 85 | Sandra Whyles
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page 86 | Sean Tunnicliffe page 87 | Jonathan Turner
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www.chapeltownarts.org.uk @chapeltownarts