Notting Hill Carnival
The Notting Hill Carnival is a 3 day annual African-Caribbean event that takes place on the streets of Notting Hill, London every late August bank holiday weekend. Notting Hill Carnival has its origins in the carnival traditions of the Caribbean and the social and political conditions of the post-1948 migration of peoples from the Caribbean.
The development of Carnival in the Caribbean, particularly on the island of Trinidad, can be traced to the period of enslavement and the pre-Lenten Mardi Gras masquerade balls held by the French plantation owners. The enslaved Africans were forbidden from participating in these balls and developed their own festival drawing on African dance traditions that satirised the slave owners through masquerade and song. Following the full emancipation of enslaved Africans in 1838 many free men and women took to the street and continued these traditions.
Ink Drawings No.2 (1978) by Ras Daniel Heartman & Everton GordonBlack Cultural Archives
Following the arrival of the SS Empire Windrush on 22nd June 1948, more than 300,000 people from the Caribbean settled in Britain. By the 1950s, Brixton and Notting Hill had the largest population of Caribbean people in Britain.
During this period, Notting Hill was also a stronghold for Oswald Mosley’s Union Movement, a far-right movement which galvanized the local white working-Class population to “Keep Britain White”. In 1958-59 under the banner of "Keep Britain White" attacks on the Black communities of Notting Hill, London and Nottingham began, culminating in the death of Antiguan-born carpenter Kelso Cochrane.
Claudia Jones by Claudia Jones Memorial CommitteeBlack Cultural Archives
In response to these attacks and increasing tensions, Trinidadian-born activist Claudia Jones and founder of the West Indian Gazette newspaper organised a Caribbean Carnival in St. Pancras Town Hall on 30th January 1959. Jones’ Carnival was envisioned as a way of showing solidarity and strength within the growing Caribbean communities and to soothe the ongoing tensions.
Inspired by Claudia Jones’ carnival, Trinidadian husband and wife Edric and Pearl Connor organised a series of similar indoor events in halls around London during the 1960s until 1964 and the premature death of Claudia Jones.
On De Road
Later in 1966, community activists Rhaune Laslett and Andre Shervington organised a street festival with the aim of entertaining local children as well as attempting to ease ongoing tensions. To encourage the local Caribbean community to participate, the well-known Trinidadian musician Russell Henderson agreed to participate and transformed the festival into a carnival through the introduction of a procession and the use of the steel pan.
Stirling Betancourt, Powis Square, Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea, Greater London (2016-07-20) by Chris Redgrave, Historic EnglandHistoric England
Although the event was not directly related to Claudia Jones’ indoor carnival, many of the elements featured in her event were used in the street festival – such as Stirling Betancourt and Russell Henderson’s steel band and other elements of Caribbean carnival.This event marked the beginning of the annual Notting Hill Carnival with the gradual addition of Caribbean elements including more bands and costumes. By 1974, 100,000 people and a dozen bands participated and in 1975 static sound systems were introduced adding Jamaican reggae, dub and ska music to the traditional calypso and soca.
The changing demographic of North London brought the Carnival into greater conflict with local, white residents with a growing police presence leading to clashes at the 1976 Carnival. There were greater calls to move Carnival from Notting Hill and media coverage of the Carnival increasingly linked the event to crime rates and disorder.
West Indian People's News volume 1, number 2Black Cultural Archives
Article on Carnival, The State and Black Masses, Cecil Gutzmore by Cecil GutzmoreBlack Cultural Archives
The Future of Notting Hill Carnival
Today Notting Hill is a cultural institution, attracting up to two million attendees and 40,000 volunteers every year. However, its future is constantly under threat. "This event is put on annually with very little government funding," says Ansel Wong, a Trinidadian cultural and political activist, former Chair of the Notting Hill Carnival Board, and founder of Elimu Mas Band.
The history of Notting Hill Carnival represents the resilience and cultural diversity of the communities of London. Despite the political pressures Notting Hill carnival has grown and thrived and represents a space for challenge and community cohesion.
Notting Hill Carnival ni tamasha la Afrika la kila mwaka linalofanyika katika barabara za Notting Hill, London kila mwishoni mwa wiki ya likizo ya benki ya Agosti. Carnival ya Notting Hill ina asili yake katika mapokeo ya carnival ya Caribbean na hali za kijamii na kisiasa za uhamiaji wa watu wa baada ya 1948 kutoka Caribbean. Karnevali ya Karibea ilianza wakati wa utumwa na wakati wa sherehe za Mardi Gras zilizofanywa na wenye mashamba wa Ufaransa. Wafrika waliotumwa walikatazwa kushiriki katika dansi hizo na wakaanzisha tamasha lao wenyewe kwa kutegemea mapokeo ya dansi ya Kiafrika ambayo yaliwadhihaki wamiliki wa watumwa kupitia masquerade na wimbo. Baada ya uhuru kamili wa Waafrika watumwa mwaka 1838, wanaume na wanawake wengi huru walichukua mitaani na kuendelea na desturi hizi. "Mchoro wa ""Drawings No.2"" wa Ras Daniel Hartman na Everton Gordon Black, iliyoandikwa na Robert E. Hartman, ni picha ya picha ya watu wa Karibiano waliohamia Uingereza mnamo Juni 22, 1948." Katika miaka ya 1950, Brixton na Notting Hill walikuwa na idadi kubwa zaidi ya watu wa Karibea nchini Uingereza. Wakati huu, Notting Hill pia ilikuwa ngome ya Oswald Mosley's Union Movement, harakati ya kulia sana ambayo ilichochea idadi ya watu weupe wa tabaka la kazi wa ndani "Weka Uingereza Nyeupe". "Mwaka 1958-59 chini ya bendera ya ""Keep Britain White"" mashambulizi dhidi ya jamii za weusi ya Notting Hill, London na Nottingham yalianza, na kuishia na kifo cha Antiguan-mzaliwa carpenter Kelso Cochrane." "Kama jibu kwa mashambulizi hayo na kuongezeka kwa mvutano, mwanaharakati wa Trinidad Claudia Jones na mwanzilishi wa gazeti la West Indian Gazette waliandaa ""Caribbean Carnival"" katika Jumba la Jiji la St Pancras mnamo Januari 30, 1959." Jones Carnival ilifikiriwa kama njia ya kuonyesha mshikamano na nguvu ndani ya jamii zinazokua za Karibea na kutuliza mvutano unaoendelea. Kwa kuchochewa na carnival ya Claudia Jones, mume na mke wa Trinidad, Edric na Pearl Connor, waliandaa mfululizo wa matukio kama hayo ya ndani katika majumba karibu na London wakati wa miaka ya 1960 hadi 1964 na kifo cha mapema cha Claudia Jones. Mwaka 1966, wanaharakati wa jamii Rhun Laslett na Andre Shervington waliandaa tamasha la mitaani kwa lengo la kufurahisha watoto wa eneo hilo na pia kujaribu kupunguza mvutano unaoendelea. Ili kuhimiza jamii ya Karibea ya ndani kushiriki, mwanamuziki maarufu wa Trinidad Russell Henderson alikubali kushiriki na kugeuza tamasha hilo kuwa karamu kupitia kuanzishwa kwa msafara na matumizi ya sufuria ya chuma. Stirling Betancourt, Powys Square, Notting Hill, Kensington na Chelsea, Greater London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London, London Mwaka 1974 watu 100,000 na bendi kadhaa walishiriki na mnamo 1975 mifumo ya sauti ya static ilianzishwa ikiongeza reggae ya Jamaika, dub na muziki wa ska kwa calypso ya jadi na soca. Mabadiliko ya idadi ya watu katika London Kaskazini yalileta Carnival katika mgogoro mkubwa na wakazi wa eneo hilo, wazungu na uwepo wa polisi unaoongezeka unaosababisha mapigano katika Carnival ya 1976. Kulikuwa na wito mkubwa wa kuhamisha Carnival kutoka Notting Hill na chanjo ya vyombo vya habari ya Carnival zaidi na zaidi ilihusisha tukio hilo na viwango vya uhalifu na machafuko. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika makala ya kwanza ya ""Black Culture Archives: Makala juu ya Carnival, Jimbo na Misa za Weusi"" na Cecil Gutzman, ""Kuna Utamaduni wa Karneval ya Notting Hill"" ni kituo cha utamaduni, na huvutia hadi wahudhuriaji milioni mbili na kujitolea 40,000 kila mwaka." Hata hivyo, wakati wake ujao unakabiliwa na tisho daima. "Tamasha hili hufanyika kila mwaka kwa fedha kidogo sana kutoka kwa serikali,"" anasema Ansel Wong, mwanaharakati wa kitamaduni na kisiasa wa Trinidad, Mwenyekiti wa zamani wa Bodi ya Notting Hill Carnival, na mwanzilishi wa bendi ya Elimu Mas." Historia ya Notting Hill Carnival inawakilisha uimara na utofauti wa kitamaduni wa jamii za London. Licha ya shinikizo la kisiasa Notting Hill carnival imekua na kusitawi na inawakilisha nafasi ya changamoto na mshikamano wa jamii.