Carnival

MASQUERADE
 The History

 The Trans-Atlantic Slave trade began around

the mid-fifteenth century.  
 In Africa there are many different tribes within
 European countries were constantly trying to
the various nations 
find ways to increase their riches
 Once captured, the African slaves
 Africa became the staple place for them to
were separated from their family and
gain riches
tribe members.
 These European "explorers" went into the
 They were then shipped off to various
African nations one after the other and started
different countries with an influx coming to
to capture the people and the riches 
the Americas.
 The separation continued as slaves were
sold far away from relatives once on land.
The History Cont.

 Not only were slaves separated from their family and tribe members but they were also forcibly

being separated from their culture and traditions

 European slave masters/capturers were forcing African slaves to learn their

languages, participate/practice their religion, dress according to their standards, etc.

 Little by little African slaves and their descendants were farther removed from their roots.
 African Culture
 THROUGHOUT HISTORY, THE AFRICAN PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN KNOWN AS

PEOPLE OF MANY RITUALS AND PERFORMANCES

oWEDDING RITUALS
oRELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL RITUALS
oBIRTH RITUALS
oDEATH RITUALS
  Even as the Europeans were forcibly acculturating the

African slaves, the slaves were still able to stay

grounded with their roots

 How?
o A main factor of Africans being able to keep
aspects of their culture and traditions is because
of their rituals and performances

African Culture o Rituals: a ceremony or sequence of activities in

which actions and wording follow a prescribed
form and order
 Some of the aspects of
the African ritual
include performance in
terms of art, dance, and
music
 Research has shown that memorization
African Rituals
results from repetition
 The rituals of the African people allow o This basically means that
their stories and cultures to be shared and through ritual, the physical body
passed down to one another.  can embrace habit memory and
 These rituals provide more than just the conscious mind intertwines
memorization; they allow the African people with the body to create a
to go through a symbolic space for transcendent,
phenomenological experience expressive and philosophical
ideas
African Rituals

 Through the concept of phenomenology, it becomes a little clearer on how the Africans of the diaspora were
able to uphold aspects of their culture and traditions

Dances, Music, parts of the

languages, religion, ceremonies,
food

 In the Caribbean carnival, you seen many of these African aspects of culture and
tradition still alive today
Carnival

• A celebration that indicates the season of

Lent coming forth
• It is celebrated in many countries around
the world
• Carnival can last for weeks
• During the festival, music is playing,
people are dancing, food is shared
Carnival

 Carnival derives from the European Catholic  It some western African countries, there is a
feast that would occur every year before the ritual celebration known as masquerade
season of Lent
 When you look at the concept and ideas behind
 When the Europeans came to the Americas with masquerade and compare them to carnival, you
the enslaved Africans, this tradition continued to will see that there are some parts of masquerade
be celebrated but it changed over time that are still present in carnival
 Parts of the African culture plus the indigenous
people's culture was added to the celebration
 You can see it in the costumes, the dances, the
food, the music
 Masquerade
• In Western African countries such as
Nigeria, masquerade is celebrated
• Masquerade: a device of representation
using narrative to promote identity;
propagate, defend, or pursue a
cause; and recover or reshape self-
conciseness in a continually changing
world
• In the history of African
Masquerade, many of the celebrants
used it as a way to express their feelings
toward oppression, abuse of power, etc.
• Masquerade was also used when calling
upon the ancestors or the orishas
During the celebration, the ancestor or
orisha is present and celebrates with
everyone around
There are drums that are usually played
with the music in which everyone
dances to in freedom
When a person dresses in mask, they
become the ancestor or orisha Masquerade
The costumes for masquerade are
usually 
o layers of clothing material
o A significant amount of sequence
o A face cover/mask or head piece
Carnival and Masquerade

Carnival Masquerade
 In today's carnival, the costumes are two piece  In masquerade, the costume is an abundance of
fits for women and just shorts for men. clothing material
 Both men and women wear giant headdress and  There is a headdress with embellishments
embellishments on their pieces

 The headdress from the masquerade has made it to carnival even though it does not have
the same significant meaning as did for masquerade

 The embellishments and abundance of the masquerade has also made it to carnival in the
form of glitter, fringes, feathers, and sequence
  Even though
 In masquerade Carnival
culture, is
the headdress is
not a representation
a significant ritual celebration,
of the
orisha orit ancestor
contains that
partsisofbeing
ritual
celebrations such as the
celebrated.
drums, the
 The abundance andstyle of
layers of
dance,
clothing are the parading.
a sign of wealth and the
Carnival and  These
African peopleaspects of
believe in giving the

Masquerade Carnival
ancestors and thehas helped to
orishas the upmost
respect.keep the African roots
 Having of masquerade alive
an abundance of jewels,
within this
embellishments, festival. just
and layers is
another sign of respect and a way
to further honor them
 References
DANIEL, YVONNE. "Resilient Diaspora Rituals." In Caribbean and Atlantic Diaspora Dance: Igniting Citizenship, 129-
58. University of Illinois Press, 2011. Accessed October 24, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/j.ctt1xcfh4.13.

Njoku, Raphael Chijioke. "Unmasking the Masquerade: Counterideologies and Contemporary Practices." In West African
Masking Traditions and Diaspora Masquerade Carnivals: History, Memory, and Transnationalism, 136-59.
Woodbridge, Su Ffolk, UK: Boydell & Brewer, 2020. Accessed September 8, 2020. doi:10.2307/j.ctv114c79k.11.

Njoku, Raphael Chijioke. "Memory and Masquerade Narratives: The Art of Remembering." In West African Masking
Traditions and Diaspora Masquerade Carnivals: History, Memory, and Transnationalism, 185-98. Woodbridge, Su Ffolk,
UK: Boydell & Brewer, 2020. Accessed September 6, 2020. doi:10.2307/j.ctv114c79k.13.

Irobi, Esiaba. "What They Came With: Carnival and the Persistence of African Performance Aesthetics in the
Diaspora." Journal of Black Studies 37, no. 6 (2007): 896-913. Accessed August 29, 2020. 
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40034960.

Rubén Durán (photographer). Photographed: February or March circa 2009-2010. Fantasy Influence (Carnival in Dominican
Republic). https://library.artstor.org/asset/AHOUSTONIG_10313757324.
 References
c.1808. Atlantic slave trade (legend). https://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000179299.

Image: c. 1984. Nigeria, Mgbala Agwa: Agiriga masker with ostrich plume headdress at Okoroshi masquerade.
https://library.artstor.org/asset/AUCSBIG_10312707779.

Beckwith, Carol and Fisher, Angela. 1999. Yoruba Masquerade. 

https://www-aluka-org.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/stable/10.5555/al.ch.document.bfacp1b80012?searchUri=so%3Dps_
collection_name_str%2Basc%26Query%3Dmasquerade

Bringhurst, Edward, 1884-1939.. circa 1910. Nice Carnival at Place Massena. Black-and-white prints (photographs).
Place: Special Collections, University of Delaware Library / Newark, Delaware 19717-5267.
https://library.artstor.org/asset/SS36142_36142_30242348.

20th century. Headdress (Ode-lay Society). Masks. Place: Yale University Art Gallery, African Art,
http://artgallery.yale.edu/, Charles B. Benenson, B.A. 1933, Collection.
https://library.artstor.org/asset/AYALEARTIG_10312578546.
References
David Alan Harvey. 2001. BRAZIL. BRAZIL. Salvador. 2001. Carnival.. https://library.artstor.org/asset/AMAGNUMIG_10311530534.
Beckwith, Carol. 1999. The Bride with Veil Removed, Morocco. 
https://www.aluka.org/stable/10.5555/al.ch.document.bfacp1b10082?searchUri=so%3Dps_collection_name_str%2Basc%26Query%3D%2528a
frican%2Brituals%2529
Fisher, Angela. 1999. Bassari Initiates during initiation, Senegal. 
https://www.aluka.org/stable/10.5555/al.ch.document.bfacp1b10007?searchUri=so%3Dps_collection_name_str%2Basc%26Query%3D%2528a
frican%2Brituals%2529
Beckwith, Carol and Fisher, Angela. 1999. A Young Krobo Girl from Ghana being initiated into Womanhood, Ghana. 
https://www.aluka.org/stable/10.5555/al.ch.document.bfacp1b10148?searchUri=so%3Dps_collection_name_str%2Basc%26Query%3D%2528
birth%2Bceremonies%2529
Beckwith, Carol. 1999. Beginning of Dogon Funeral Rites with Ritual Hanging of Winding Cotton Cloths, Niger. 
https://www.aluka.org/stable/10.5555/al.ch.document.bfacp1b50062?searchUri=so%3Dps_collection_name_str%2Basc%26Query%3D%2528
death%2Bceremonies%2529