The Sacred and The Profane: Face of Carnival in Trinidad

When one thinks about Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, the immediate image is of colourful feathery costumes, half-naked oiled bodies, deafening soca music and drunken revelry in the streets. But if you look deeper, Carnival is rooted in deep traditions hidden in plain sight. The joyful celebration is serrated with re-enactments and rituals of post-colonial emancipation, a mix of African and East Indian culture, historical and political innuendo and contorted religious symbolism.