LEGACY: Outside May be Closed but Carnival is Forever

I would like to give a special thank you to Christian Holder and the Holder family for allowing me the opportunity to use Boscoe Holder’s work in my project.

Due to Covid-19, Trinidad and Tobago’s 2021 Carnival has been cancelled. Carnival is a time where a lot of eyes are on the Twin Islands. Though carnival is cancelled, what it represents and the people who birthed it, have a legacy that goes beyond the two days that the rest of the world has their eyes on us.

The Legacy of carnival is all about preservation and perpetuity of self love, freedom and the celebration of our bodies. Beyond the commotion, the artists and their creativity are the pillars of mas. Their work aims to create a message, perspective all while honoring history and they do it so well. While we may not get to admire carnival costume designers this year, I have decided to turn the work of another type of artist into carnival costumes to honor this time of “what could have been.”

 Boscoe Holder is an artist that, to me, represents the same preservation and perpetuity of self love, freedom and the celebration of our bodies that carnival does.  He is well rounded, crossing many mediums and influencing continents. His legacy as an artist is one that is noticeable in the Caribbean artists that he inspires. Holder, born in 1921 in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago and passing in April of 2007, he lived a full life. He was a painter, costume designer, choreographer and dance instructor at the University of the West Indies.  His paintings and dances were inspired by the shango, bongo and bélé derived from slaves, carefully preserving the Afro-Caribbean tradition. His inspiration fueled by history and culture, his art choice had a message. One that through intentional details, we saw our people from his perspective. Boscoe Holder is Trinidad and Tobago. Boscoe Holder is Carnival. 

In this Elle Celeste Mini Series, titled “LEGACY: Outside May be Closed but Carnival is Forever”, we highlight two of my favorite paintings by Holder and another from a young Trinidadian artist that I believe carries on this same legacy that carnival reminds us of each year. The three paintings were selected because together, they tell a story of freedom and self realization, the same goal that carnival successfully hit many years ago. From the beginning, carnival was about breaking barriers and embracing yourselves. When I look at these three photos, that is what I see. To go with these paintings, I have included a short story, each being influenced by the other, to tell the story of a young woman coming into this understanding of sensuality and the celebration of her body. Trinidad Carnival, and all it has ever strived to do, will forever be relevant in how we live our lives and should see ourselves. 

Testing the Waters.

Off my Shoulder, that flowy pink top goes

See my silhouette, oh how my body’s grown 

Pink flower in my hair so they don’t question my virginity 

What about my body doesn’t scream the  Holy Trinity?

Complicity, Respectability, I want it all out of my vicinity 

All because of their urges

 see my body and they ask,

is this what it feels like, sublimity?

From the hues of blues, on my skin

hitting all of the right places

 from the highs to the lows 

And I’m not just talking about my many  faces.

Mixing together, intertwining

Fully forming my identity 

Off my shoulder, that flowy pink top goes

Is this the beginning of me being free?

Didn't Know They Were Naked.

Adam and Eve didn’t always know they were naked.

Shame was their achilles heel 

Their eyes, manipulated 

This  shame,  I inherited from them 

My  family tree 

It’s time I break the curse

Embrace Vulnerability 

Expose my eyes to my body 

Until I find comfort in what I see 

Bid shame farewell 

I’ve found my epiphany 

From the arch in my back 

I’ve found my safe haven 

The width of my hips

Reveal  sophistication

My body, a vessel 

I call her by name 

Adam and Eve didn’t always know they were naked 

I yearn to feel the same.

My Eyes Have Felt Things.

My eyes have felt things.

Memories I’ve convinced myself are just bad dreams

Beautiful people paired with what could have beens

My eyes have felt things. 

Confusion and frustration deeply rooted in fear 

History was a chaos that I could no longer bear 

My eyes have felt things.

All of my life’s history encapsulated

Life lessons and stories, it cultivated 

A new feeling that my eyes now see 

Communication, I was now one with my body 

I understand her and  she understands me. 

My eyes have felt things.