The Canboulay riots were a series of disturbances in the British colony of Trinidad in 1881. The riots came about in response to efforts by the colonial police to restrict aspects of the island's annual Carnival festival. In Port of Spain, San Fernando and Princes Town, angered Trinidadians rioted in response to the actions of the police; several people were killed as a result of the riots. Canboulay music forms an important part the musical traditions of Trinidad. The "chantwell" or chantuelle who was also an integral part of the celebrations was the forerunner of the calypsonian and later soca music. Background The annual Carnival in Trinidad dates back to the 18th century, when an influx of immigrants from the French West Indies emigrated to Trinidad in the 1780s in response to encouragement from the Spanish colonial government. These immigrants included French planters (both white and Mulatto) and free and enslaved Blacks. Both the white and Mulatto planters staged elaborate masquerade balls at Christmas as a "farewell to the flesh" before the season of Lent, with each group mimicking the other in their masks and method of entertainment. Over time, the traditions of the Carnival were merged with another tradition introduced by French immigration- the calinda, a form of martial art accompanied by music and dancing. Trinidad was captured by the British in 1797, and in 1834, the British government passed the Slavery Abolition Act which outlawed slavery in the British Empire. Slavery was fully abolished in Trinidad by 1838, and the Carnival, hitherto restricted to the island's planters, became a tradition among Trinidad's emancipated slaves, who created the jammette (underclass) masquerade to participate in the festivities. The emancipated slaves first celebrated their freedom on 1 August the anniversary of their emancipation but soon participated in Carnival instead. As part of this transformation, they started carrying burning sugar canes or "cannes brulees" which were soon called canboulay. The carnival soon featured ribald dancing by men and women in masks. The people would also gather in "kaiso" tents where a "chantwell" or lead singer would lead them in song to vent their feelings. "Kaiso" music has its origins in West Africa and was brought over by the slaves who (in the early history of the art form) used it to sing about their masters. The British colonial authorities disapproved of the festival because of its bacchanalian overtones, but the festival was