As carnival returns, let’s not forget its roots

Notting Hill Carnival remains an instrumental event in the black British calendar, and last week witnessed its anticipated return to the streets of west London. The pandemic and subsequent lockdown had cancelled carnival for the last two years due to public health concerns, which had left a void in the lives of many.

The late August Bank Holiday weekend has become reserved and dedicated to the largest street party in Europe, with over a million attendees and 40,000 volunteers. Despite the admiration for black Caribbean culture that Notting Hill Carnival displays, understanding the roots of this event and the circumstances (which led to it being) founded ensures that we cannot forget the origins of this monumental event.

The early years of post-war Caribbean migration to Britain were rampant with discrimination in all sectors of society. Houses were plastered with ‘No Blacks, No Irish and No Dogs’ as the colour bar continued to prohibit the assimilation of the Caribbean migrants into British society. The race riots of 1958 exemplified the tensions between the races, but more so the racist killing of Antiguan migrant Kelso Cochrane by the Teddy Boys in Notting Hill the following year.

Cochrane’s death certainly was not in vain. The recent America-deported (due to her ties to the Communist party) Trinidadian activist Claudia Jones decided enough was enough, thus stemming the routes in the founding of Notting Hill Carnival. She viewed it as a way to “wash the taste of riots from the mouths of black people” and helped to uplift the community.

The first carnival was an indoor celebration in 1959.Following the passing of Jones in 1964, the first outdoor event was organised by community activist Rhaunee Laslett two years later. Carnival helped maintain the diasporic links these early migrants had to the Caribbean and celebrated the region’s rich, diverse and fruitful culture. Equally, it sought to improve race relations and community unrest.

Fast-forward over six decades later and the zeal for carnival remains. It’s safe to say the carnival is needed more than ever. As it began, it was an opportunity to improve race relations and community unrest, with the past two years during the pandemic creating antagonistic racial disparities.

The continued protest against the police following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and the horrific case of Child Q earlier this year can show how minimal societal changes have occurred in the last few decades. Moreover, the pandemic has only widened the economic inequalities as the cost of living continues to soar. For one weekend, it almost feels like everything in the world is forgotten, and everyone comes together as one, which was what carnival was originally for - to display unity.

POSITIVITY OF BLACK MUSIC

The only scepticism I have over carnival is the role of the police. Predominantly black events such as carnival have gained notoriety for their ‘over-policing’, in contrast to majority white events such as Glastonbury, for example. During the last carnival in 2019, the BBC reported that over 350 arrests was made over two days. The disturbances of Notting Hill Carnival 1976, where black youth fought against police harassment, highlight the racial disparities during that period.

To not seem pessimistic, very little has changed, and the continuities remain the same now just as six decades prior. Sus laws have been replaced with Section 60, which gives the police powers to maintain their swamping of black communities. The Windrush controversy of recent years alludes to how black people remain second-class citizens. Nonetheless, carnival continues to remain a special event to commemorate community togetherness. For those who grew up in the Caribbean, it’s a reminder of home and shows the positivity of black music, which is lauded and praised by the masses.

The last two years have given us very little to celebrate. Our community remains severed over our disproportionate suffering from the pandemic, uncertainty over the soaring cost of living crises, and the political vagueness this country remains in. Carnival makes us remember how far we have come as a people and the tremendous influence we have created in Britain thus far.

The late political activist Darcus Howe once stated, “If there weren’t race riots in Notting Hill, I don’t believe that we would have had the Notting Hill Carnival. If it weren’t for the murder of Kelso Cochrane, carnival wouldn’t have happened.” Cochrane’s murder sparked the cause for unity that we needed. As we celebrate its return, let us also commemorate and remember the factors behind this event, and the cultural significance it remains to our community.

 Montel Gordon is a James McCune Smith PhD scholar at the University of Glasgow researching race and education. He is also a freelance journalist.