I have a few things to say before we begin:

1. My internal organs nearly roasted.
2. I was an idiot and totally forgot to bring my camera, so all of these are phone photos.
3. Is there anyone interested in doing Notting Hill Carni next year? Asking for a friend.

Culturama is the name of the carnival festival which takes place every summer, (end of July to the beginning of August), here in Nevis. It coincides with the anniversary of the decree for the abolition of slavery, or Emancipation as it’s commonly known. Not only is it a way to keep tradition and culture alive, but also a very good excuse to drink too much, party and dance until you die.

There are events almost everyday during Culturama including pageants, food and arts & craft festivals, drag races, spoken word recitals and street parties. We headed down to town on the final day to catch the final street parade. It was supposed to start at noon and in true British W.I style we arrived at 3pm… In true Nevisian style, the parade hadn’t started yet.

Everyone was dressed in colourful, sparkly, feathered outfits, dancing behind huge sound systems that were pulled by tractors through the streets. Everyone gets involved, from the littles to some older women who were not afraid to shake their stuff. The streets were lined with hordes of people looking on, often nipping into the open shops and restaurants for some relief from the baking sun. Pageant Kings and Queens waved to their subjects from the trucks they were riding on and the men on stilts, (called Mockojumbies), wowed everyone by not breaking their ankles. We followed the mayhem all the way down to the pier where we had the most beautiful view. The celebration of culture and history, Nevis peak in the background, the movement of the sea and the sun setting behind us.

It was one of those moments where I felt so blessed to have a culture which stems so far beyond myself. A culture that has been institutionally repressed for years but has overcome all of that. It really made me think and remember that ‘I come as one, but I stand as 10,000’ quote from Maya Angelou.

Notting Hill 2019 anyone?