During the month of February we will be featuring some stories related to Black History in Canada.
The history and legacy of Caribana must be preserved
OPINION: CAMILLE HERNÁNDEZ-RAMDWAR
SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL
PUBLISHED AUGUST 4, 2023 UPDATED AUGUST 5, 2023
This year the Toronto Caribbean Carnival (still fondly referred to as Caribana by many) turns 56 years old. It has undeniably been a major cultural institution not only for Toronto, but for the entire country. Within Caribbean communities in Canada, it has been a central fixture for generations.
At the same time, many in our communities have bemoaned the watering-down of the festival, believing that today’s Toronto Caribbean Carnival (TCC) has lost much of its original flavour, its connection to community, and its preservation of Caribbean roots. That it is less about protecting and maintaining a specific cultural heritage and more about promoting a Canadian street party where everyone is invited. The story of the festival underlines one of the contradictions of multiculturalism: are immigrants and their descendants supposed to hold onto and preserve their culture, protecting it as one would a family heirloom, carefully passing it down from generation to generation, ensuring that it remains with the community’s stewardship? Or are we supposed to share our culture with everyone in the host country as a sign of generosity and goodwill, so as to appear non-threatening and malleable, so that ultimately we, in effect, lose control of and claim to our own culture? Can we do both simultaneously? Should we?