Mc Farlane, the Review

The last time I made a journey to the city of San Fernando was in December 2006, a pilgrimage of sorts with a very dear friend who had returned to Trinidad from London. Yesterday as I made my way to San Fernando under grey skies the journey took me to San Fernando Hill, a spot I am ashamed to admit I never deemed worthy of a visit yet a fitting location for Brian Mc Farlane’s launch of his 2008 Carnival presentation “Earth- Cries of Despair, Wings of Hope”. San Fernando Hill, we were told, was once the site of a quarry until preservationist stepped in and reclaimed the Hill turning it into a one of the city’s most glorious landmarks. The significance of this echoes in Mc Farlane’s theme of the destruction of the Earth by elders with its salvation lying in the hands of the youth.

After a media briefing the production began with mud soaked characters playing the tambu babmu and leading the way.

Upon reaching the destination, there stood two more mud people holding a huge painted “Earth”, the backdrop a sea of muddied bodies rising out of mud soaked and painted brown cotton

Slowly the Earth lowered to the ground and a masked figure in white robes was revealed. As the mask itself was lowered the man of the moment, Brian Mc Farlane was exposed.

This signaled the narration of the story of the Earth and I was amazed that Mc Farlane had no script yet recited the story verbatim, accompanied by acoustics from a rapso band. Earth 2008 is a very deep, moving and touching presentation that is also globally relevant according to Mc Farlane. The band comprises of 18 sections, 13 of which are adults representing the Cries of Despair. Teaming up with reigning Children’s Band of the Year, Rosalind Gabriel, 5 children’s sections will portray the Wings of Hope marrying two genres of mas on the streets of Port of Spain.

On Monday masqueraders will be given staffs, yards of brown cotton and mud to wear; mud of the earth from where we all came and where we will one day return, the effect would be very much like the Earth characters that slowly revealed the sketches of each section from beneath the muddied cloth:

As Mc Farlane spoke his passion for the environment was made clear with each section of the Cries of Despair depicting the rape of the land and sea, Mc Farlane adding an anecdote to drive the point home. All is not lost as the Wings of Hope bring a New Dawn showing the Passion of Humanity and Paradise Reborn.

The skies grew threateningly darker as Mc Farlane's story came to an end, we were all then invited to take a closer look at the costumes as the mud people remained in character; solemn, silent and writhing.

Lots of little nibbles such as cassava sticks, mini coconut bake and the cutest cups of corn soup appeared as we milled around taking photographs, some partaking of the open bar as well.


Before I knew it however, the skies opened and the rain POURED! There is nothing more intimate than several strangers huddling under a shelter and the conversations flowed as freely as the rum punch. When the rains eventually stopped it signaled my departure, and a seemingly fitting end to the story of the day as the Hills were cleansed with a washing.

FOR PHOTOS FROM MC FARLANE's LAUNCH CLICK HERE