ABSTRACT
This chapter elaborates the aspects of carnival culture that reflect perceived identities of locals, viz the phenomenon of tourism. To begin with, a brief overview of carnival, local history, and social relations is presented, emphasising Trinidadians’ need to construct/reconstruct a new identity. Secondly, the chapter describes carnival itself both in historical terms and via contemporary background information. Then, it examines several aspects of carnival in relation to tourism and foreign influence: present-day scandal in Trinidad’s carnival; the exporting of carnival and its music; as well as gender, carnival, and the contrasting influence of the ‘sister island’ of Tobago. It was during the 1940s and early 1950s that carnival in Trinidad began to blossom into something that really made it the premier attraction or event in Trinidad. The electrification of carnival music means that much of Trinidad’s carnival music can be used ‘as is’ abroad.
