Life As Mas

Trinidadians are experts at pretending. I genuinely feel that the refrain, “The city could burn down, we jamming still,” from the Ultimate Rejects soca song “Full Extreme” is our approach to life. The last time there was a state of emergency, we had curfew parties. Were we concerned about escalating crime? I think we have become so desensitised to crime that unless there is a perfect victim that jolts us to march and mobilise, life goes on for the vast majority of us. Are we concerned about the increasing cost of living? Our 4-day memory is legendary and we are not the type to boycott en-masse. We will gripe to our friends about the increased prices of our favourite treats, but we still indulge. When a “would be leader” makes an absolute fool of him/herself and “pappy shows” a formal event like a state funeral, we produce memes in less time than it takes a reporter to draft the official news report. 

Right or wrong, it feels as if we have been conditioned to laugh at everything. To hold strain, stay the course, never rock the boat. Complain if you must but there’s no point in taking any action to try to change the outcome. Carnival is often referred to as our release valve. If things begin to feel as if they are too much outside of the season, we drink, (if there’s a rum shop open at 6 am, trust there is someone in it drinking), we party and we lime. We tell ourselves that we do these things so we must be happy but are we? 

One accident can leave thousands of us stalled in grid lock traffic for hours. We grit and bear every inconvenience of a public sector that moves as slow as molasses, where an uncontested will can take up to six years to exit the probate process. We complain about the price of parties we can’t afford, instead of patronising cheaper alternatives. If we have a link we use it, without sparing a thought for those without connections, who must simply wait and others who simply give up. 

I sometimes wonder if we are not exhausted by the reality of playing a 'mas', and wearing various masks 365 days a year; not just for two months. I love soca music. I believe that Carnival has a spirit. If I'm being honest however, the entire thing is starting to feel like a plantation where it is the masqueraders, and the fete goers that keep the thing running. Even if that thing only benefits a few of us. 

Time is the most valuable resource and we don’t know how much of it we have left. I personally refuse to spend any more of mine pretending to do things I don’t enjoy, and I don’t think you should either. I left one of my favourite fetes earlier this year after two hours because the DJ’s were playing primarily older soca tunes, and I refused to listen to the same “top 8” 2024 soca songs over and over again. 

My take: Leave the party if you’re not having fun. Make that career move, even if it scares you. Do the things you’ve always wanted to do, and feel free to say no to the limes and things you do not want. You don’t even need to provide an explanation because NO is a complete sentence. Build the life you want to live, not the one society says you should. A life you can be proud of, one that you don’t have to escape from.