Creating the carnival spirit

1. a carnival goer gets a lift from a police officer at

Notting Hill Carnival 1980.

carnival-goer = the child

 The photo must have been taken during one of the marches at Notting Hill
carnival in 1980. The carnival-goer is the little black boy on the white
police officer’s shoulders. It’s unusual to see a police officer carrying a
child. You don’t expect a little boy to wear a police helmet. That must
have been funny.
2. Read the text and Pick out information about the carnival :

People Places Dates cause aim

the WIG – : division – stage a joyous

Carnival Europe – late 1958 – riots – event – echo
Committee – Nottingham – summer of saddening the carnival
British Notting Hill. 1958 – 1990s street rioting festivals of the
Caribbeans – – 1959. Caribbean –
their non- bring
Caribbean Caribbean
friends – and non-
Claudia – her Caribbeans
friends in together –
artistic spirit of
circles. defiance
against
division –
create an
event that
would
symbolise the
spirit of
bouncing
back after the
riots.

=>The carnival was created in late 1958 by Claudia Jones and her friends
in artistic circles in order to show that Caribbeans and non-Caribbeans
could bounce back after the divisions created between the communities
during the race riots that occurred during the summer of the same year. It
was inspired by traditional Caribbean carnivals and mainly intended to
show that people could unite and probably avoid future conflicts.

3. Listening
 Information about Claudia Jones and the carnival
Script :
Journalist: Claudia Jones, a Trinidadian, founder and editor of the West
Indian Gazette (WIG), who fought for black rights and human rights in
general, wanted to inspire and unify the community to ease racial
tension.
Claudia Jones: The fact that the population at large, because of the
whole propaganda against the West Indians, er, regard them as second-
class citizens, and they themselves on the job and in virtually every
sphere of life, find this difficulty, since the Immigration Act in terms of
discrimination.
Journalist: Alongside Edric Connor, she organised and directed the first
Caribbean carnival-like indoor event, cabaret style, in 1959, hosting a
Caribbean queen beauty contest and bringing a Trinidadian carnival
atmosphere to London, held at St Pancras town hall in Euston, where it
was televised by the BBC.
 Origins Occupation Activism
Claudia Jones : founder / editor fought – black
of the West rights – human
Trinidadian
Indian rights – inspire
Gazette. – unify
community.

Carnival : : organised – directed – first Caribbean carnival-like indoor

event – 1959 – Caribbean queen beauty contest – Trinidadian carnival
atmosphere - London – St Pancras town hall – Euston – televised by the BBC.

=> The first ever London Carnival helped to unify the community and to ease
social tensions after the riots. It encouraged different communities to unite and
celebrate. It was originally inspired by festivals of the Caribbean. Today it is
still a joyous event where people come together peacefully to enjoy music and
have fun.

Vocabulary ( copy pg 209)