SENIOR BANDS IN BELIZE DO THEIR THING

Thursday night was part two of the Mas Camp Nights and the four remaining senior bands were more than ready to show us what they had to offer for carnival day. As we approached the first camp, we were curious to find out if this second group of senior bands would have as much energy as the first. Black Pearl did not disappoint. The revelers and their on lookers blocked off an entire block of Dean street with their pre-carnival jump-up.

Kendra Buller, Leader Black pearl
“Black Pearl senior band will be will presenting this year the three concepts of peace, love and, harmony. As you can see, we have a lovely array of colours. The red section with the heart symbolizes the love. The colourful section, a togetherness of colours, with the harmony sign represents the harmony. The white section with the dove represents the peace section. Black Pearl senior band has seventy-five strong masqueraders ready to go out there and do their thing carnival day so we’re looking forward to it”

King, Black Pearl
“Well this year my costume is representing freedom and basically I just di come out fi rock di street dis year and di thousand ah people weh I have as my fans. Everybody look forward fi si mi inna carnival every year. Every year I usually seh dah mi last year but this year will be my last year so I just come out fi rock and enjoy myself with the colorful colors this year” “Well, fi all di kings dehn weh di compete, I just want seh unnu bring it hard because all like me, come out fi enjoyment dis year but I wah bring it as well.”

Saffiyah Mohammed, Reporting
Over at the Mas Camp of Eternity Mas Band the soca music was blasting. They told us all about the reason behind their root and culture theme.

Misty Williams, Eternity Mas Band
“I di represent Eternity Mas Band and this year we di portray roots and culture the dread represents roots; weh yoh come from with black being the people, gold and different colors. Di pink dah di Maya temple as in culture—di pink and di purple represent culture—and di purple is a leaf. It’s from a, you could seh wah tree. You know di tree grow and we think dat culture di fade inna Belize and we want bring it out inna wah costume that ih could actually grow and ih could actually continue and be something weh grow inna Belize.”

Member, Eternity Mas Band
“This year I decided to join carnival because I wanted to enjoy my September because my birthday is September. But most of all, I joined Eternity because dis year we come fi mash up Belize, we come fi enjoy. You done know.”

Member, Eternity Mas Band
“Tell dehn tighten up cause we di come hard. We wah run over anybody. We noh business, we di come fi dehn”

The erotic Mas Band's camp was filled with costumes of many colors and shapes. The designer, David Matus, explained the meaning of each.

David Matus, Designer, Erotic Mas Band
“This year erotic is doing journey where we are depicting the land, people and sea. Alright our land section, we’re depicting come flora and fauna and we’re depicting some butterflies. In the people section we decided to pick the slaves who came through the British settle and under the sea, well that speaks for itself. The only message that I have is that we line up at number five in the senior band line-up but at the end ah di day we'll be in front”

Queen, Erotic Mas Band
“I am representing Queen of the Land, amorphous, representing the land. The sections are land, people, sea, hence I lead the land. Well I've always been participating. This is like twelve years of carnival. I think I’ve done about three or four queens, won about three and surely I must win this year we’ve been working very hard.”

Our final stop was Mother Nature's creation. They may have been last but they definitely not least.

Leader, Mother Natures Creation
“The theme for the costumes is the myth of fire and water, death and reincarnation. The first section—we’re looking at all different colours—the first section will be aqua, blue, white and green. The second section will be red, yellow, orange. The third group will be the rainbow and the last group will be pink and black”

Member, Mother Nature’s Creation
“I really hype up fi dis parade dis year. I come all di way from L.A. fi jump inna carnival and I wah still come. Belize dah my home, when carnival dah my queen. So dis dah weh I love. On carnival, I do mi natural energy and I get on bad so unnu wah si wah good, good show this year”

Queen, Mother Nature’s Creation
“I'm queen Myra. I’m a mermaid and I’m going to be beautiful, seductive, lure all the men of Belize to love me. Belize makes me want to be in carnival because I see it makes a lot of people happy. It’s a day when we can come out, enjoy ourselves, without all the killing and everything that’s going on in Belize this year. It’s one day that I would like people to come out and enjoy one another. It’s not a day for hurt or anything. It’s a day for us to enjoy and to be proud of our country.”