Gate Keeping Culture Is A Right.
The Fear of Carnival's Dilution in a Sea of Similarities
In the millenia where the concept of Blackness has been named and continued, it has come into a new era of being at its most popular. From being hidden through legal force and genocide to becoming an extremely desired state of being with a nuance of an undertone of hate still lingering, many Black people have been doing the work to keep the culture alive. With Black culture being so popular, it may seem contradictory to say that the culture is being diluted, but public interest from non-Black people can actually work to adulterate the culture in unexpected ways.
The label Black is a very specific one. To be Black and African are not always the same due to the history of the word and who invented it to begin with. In Audrey Smedley’s Origin Of The Idea Of Race, she talks about the concept of race and what exactly it was created to achieve, “By limiting perpetual servitude to Africans and their descendants, colonists were proclaiming that blacks would forever be at the bottom of the social hierarchy.” Some Africans may identify as Black, but some may not since it is a very Diasporic term. A term used often by enslaved people of African descent when the term African did not quite track after hundred of years not even laying your eyes on the continent’s soil.
As we move into our Black umbrella today, it is a necessary thing to address our subsections and how we all differ. Being Black around the globe looks a multitude of ways. Being Black in Nigeria looks a different way than it does in Brazil and addressing how colonisation has changed and influenced our new-found ceremonies is a part of respecting our individual Black experiences.
In the Caribbean it has a history of being taken over by the Spanish, English, and French by slaughtering Taíno people (the first settlers in the Caribbean) and enslaving Africans on the “new” islands. As the protocol of white-man the leader, Black man the enslaved and Indigenous man the dwindling came about,later came the enslavement of Indians as well and our roles as people and property became clear. There was no room for joy, only for fear. Our bodies became policed and nudity and the way we wore our hair, clothes and danced became seen as uncivilised. Caribbean Carnival came about as a time when enslaved Africans were left out of European Carnivals all together and we made an effort to “party” or masquerade while slave owners were away at their own events. In these carnivals we could play our music - African music now morphed by the terrors of slavery and made our own - and dance in the way we saw fit all in secrecy.
Fast forward to the modern world and to this day what once was a way for people to find a semblance of joy in horrifying time becomes a celebration of our new found independence and exploration of freedom with our bodies that we would usually be judged by in our daily lives. Since so many Caribbean immigrants have since moved to Canada and Toronto in particular, our Carnival, known to some as Caribana, has immigrated alongside us. As we shifted to a new land, there seems to be a shift in opinion of Carnival. It has become a common trend for non-Caribbean attendees to go to “catch a bubble” (have a woman in costume wine on them) or to watch the spectacle that is Caribbeans dancing to Soca and exercising their freedom with a judgemental eye. As a participant myself, from a young age it was always and will always be a day free of body shame and judgement amongst ourselves, but outsiders seem to have a different way of seeing it. There has been such a stigma and colonised influence of nudity and its meaning.
The appeal of one's culture can come from its colour and the smiles on people’s faces when participating can draw in non authentic co-opting. Alongside the fun and enjoyment comes participants with no idea of the history and meaning behind Carnival. People with no historical tracking in the Caribbean feel entitled to participate if a culture appears joyous or exciting or simply because they themselves are Black. Attending the Carnival myself, it was troubling to find so many people from different regions in costume. This opinion may seem harsh, but even the participation of white and Chinese Caribbeans is a worrisome view simply because the history does not track in the slightest. There is a very spiritual standing that Caribbeans Carnival for that only truly works as a way to pay respect to one's ancestors if you have ancestors who were in those marginalised positions. If not, my thought immediately goes to how disrespectful a person's inclusion is.
The concept of “Gatekeeping” culture has been shamed upon for years now. Some have even gone as far to say that people do not have the right to gate keep culture at all. People with this way of thinking seem to have an emphasis on taking rather than giving and it is often an eager way to consume as much culture as they can without a second thought of how sacred a ceremony or way of dress is to a group of people. It ignores the history of colonialism and as a result forces a melting pot mindset. Making one thing very clear, the concept of the melting pot is only a way of diluting culture and fading the lines that we have set up for hundreds or thousands of years. This way of thinking arises when individuals ask for Reggae, Dancehall, AfroBeat or Hip hop at Carnival. It pushes all Black people to squish together in a place that simply does not have enough room for all of us. As a spectator, which you are if you are a non-Caribbean watching or even masquerading during carnival, then assimilation in the midst of a culture that is not your own is the ultimate way of showing respect. Requesting changes simply because you are in the area is a selfish way of going about a cultural experience.
As someone who has attended a Moroccan and Indian wedding, my first instinct was not to pick the things that I did or did not like or agree with but was to support and maybe be shocked by the things I was not used to, but continue to be present with an open perspective.
As people with such a rich culture, it is absolutely our right to gate keep and protect the things that would eventually fade away if we did not shield them with fierceness. When a culture, way of being or way of thinking does not actively harm another group, there is rarely a reason why a change is necessary. When talking about the history of the HBCU (Historically Black College or University) and whether or not their cultural practices belong at PWI’s (Predominately White Institutions) in the video titled “No, you cannot get an HBCU experience at your PWI,” Kimberly Nicole Foster states, “There is cultural flattening that allows us to obscure distinct histories… HBCUs have a distinct history and culture and we all don’t get to just say ‘that’s mine.’... doesn’t mean you can’t love Blackness.” This is a perfect example of the dilution of Caribbean culture that is being pushed onto Carnival in Toronto today. If you really love Black culture and you really love Caribbean culture then you will humble yourself before it as you should with any other. View yourself as a welcomed guest and take it for what it is.
How will we move forward? Separating the pack is necessary, Bands at Carnivals making flyers, posters, blogs and videos about Carnival’s history leading up to every annual celebration is necessary. Telling people against their will about why we do what we do will only move people aside for our own participation. Having all Band owners not only be Black but specifically Caribbean keeps our culture pointed. Only one from the culture can know and feel its meaning. Lastly, calling a thing a thing and sifting through the pot. Carnival is not Torontonian culture and neither are the slang words or way of dressing that Caribbean immigrants have brought to the city. It is a temporary way for Caribbeans to experience home without being there. We are not mean for telling people “no,” for telling our friends no in the want to co-opt a culture. We may be considered selfish, but it is not without a cause. As people who have been taken down by generations of slavery and racial, legal, and financial abuse; selfishness, retaining spirituality and paying respect to our ancestors is imperative. Making sure erasure does not occur is a responsibility we should take pride in.
