Caribbean Beat — March/April 2018 (#150)

word of mouth
Anya Kazantseva/shutterstock.com
Carnival come
back again
When Hurricane Irma devastated
St Martin six months ago, few residents
had Carnival in mind. But this year’s
festival has become a symbol of rebirth
for the island, Laura Dowrich reports
When Hurricane Irma completed
her devastation of St Martin
in September 2017, Austin
Helliger was among hundreds left without
a home. He couldn’t even find refuge in his
parents’ house, as that too was destroyed.
The businessman, who was on the verge
of launching his own Carnival band, had
second thoughts.
Post-Irma revealed apocalyptic scenes
on the island, in which Dutch Sint
Maarten shares a border with French
Saint-Martin. Trees were uprooted, buildings
destroyed, and leisure craft used by
families and visitors on sunny weekend
sailings were turned topsy-turvy, sometimes
miles away from their original
berth. Chaos erupted, as desperate
residents began looting before the Dutch
military were sent to enforce law and
order. Carnival was one of the furthest
things from most residents’ minds.
“The first couple of weeks, I was like,
I don’t want to do this,” says Helliger of
his Carnival band. “But I did a boat ride
after the hurricane and it was amazing to
see that four hundred people came and
gave me their money. It was an emotional
experience, and everyone was asking
what the next event is.”
So come April, Helliger will make
his debut in Sint Maarten’s forty-ninth
Carnival. His will be one of the eight
bands registered for the festival.
Helliger’s determination to do his band
reflects the bigger determination of the
country to show the world they are open
for business. This Carnival is being seen
as a symbol of resilience and hope following
the ravages of Irma.
“We have so many people literally telling
us every day that Carnival will happen, Carnival
must happen. It’s an important and
vital part of our culture and mental recovery.
And though we may lose our material
things, you cannot take away our spirit of
enjoyment and togetherness,” said Alston
Lourens, president of the Sint Maarten
Carnival Development Foundation, after
the board met to discuss the annual event a
few weeks after Irma’s passage.
Carnival in Sint Maarten began on
11 November, 1970, Sint Maarten’s Day,
to replicate the annual Carnival held in
neighbouring St Thomas. When French
Saint-Martin also started celebrating the
holiday, the Dutch side moved its Carnival
to 30 April, the Queen’s Birthday, with a
Grand Carnival Parade.
Today the parade is still held on the
Queen’s Birthday, but the festivities begin
a month earlier — this year, from 12 April
to 3 May. Most events take place in one
central location, the Carnival Village,
a stadium-like facility with shops and
Caribbean cuisine, described as the only
venue of its kind in the region.
Carnival ends with the burning of
King Momo, a large effigy made of straw,
wood, and plaster. Momo is a derivation
of the Ancient Greek Momus, god of satire
and mockery. King Momo represents the
excess and wildness of Carnival, and
gives people permission to break loose
during the season.
And in 2018, the return of King Momo
has a special significance: it means things
are getting back to normal. n
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