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A National Mandate for Exploring a Novel Perspective for Marketing the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Industry

Mar 17, 2021 | Views:209414 |

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Office of Research, Impact and Postgraduate Studies

presents

A National Mandate for Exploring a Novel Perspective for Marketing the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Industry

by Mr. Vernon "Shabaka" Thompson

The Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is known throughout the world, fuelling major Carnivals in other jurisdictions with impact throughout the Caribbean region and far afield. The Notting Hill Carnival in the UK, the West Indian Labour Day Parade in USA and The Toronto Caribbean Carnival in Canada are three models of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival intrusion into the diaspora inducing new cultural institutions within these metropolitan cities. Today their models contribute to the cultural economy of their cities, having utilised the Carnival as a product to be sold and traded.

The entrepreneurial propensity among Carnival artisans is the creative fuel that energises the industry. This energy is the catalyst for other extraneous commercial services such as transport, food, beverage, security and sound to thrive, yet few studies are done on this significant impact on the national economy.

A more recognisable Carnival Industry will emerge when the artisans of Carnival are redefined as Creative Entrepreneurs, the Gross Value Added of their goods and services to GDP is considered, and an infrastructure is provided which contributes to the regularity of Carnival Arts activities and benefits the creative entrepreneurs outside the annual festival.

The research calls for a national mandate that will strengthen the Carnival as a recognisible industry in Trinidad and Tobago with global reverberations. It will focus on revealing the entrepreneurial propensity among artisans active in shaping the Industry and proposes a systematic approach via an infrastructure that can market and showcase their products and services throughout the year.

Mr. Vernon Thompson, popularly known as "Shabaka", is a Cultural Leader with extensive experience in carnival, theatre, event management and production, working over three (3) decades in Canada, Trinidad, the United Kingdom and Africa. He is currently an Executive Director with Zmirage UK and artisan consultant and entrepreneur with De CORE Ltd, UK. He is an ardent carnival practitioner producing costumes for Notting Hill, Nottingham, Calabar (Nigeria) and Trinidad carnivals.

As the Director of London's leading African Combined Arts Centre, the Yaa Asantewaa Arts and Community Centre (London), Shabaka initiated and realised the Carnival Village project for the development and sustenance of Carnival Art in London and all its related industries, a project of which he was the initial Chief Executive. He was instrumental in initiating the London Calypso Tent in partnership with the Association of British Calypsonians in 1992 (now ACASA). In 2004, he received an Arts Council Fellowship Award for two months study of the Miami Carnival. In 2005, he was the Acting CEO of the London Notting Hill Carnival.

Shabaka has lectured in schools, colleges and universities, conducted Theatre in Education (TIE) workshops in primary and secondary schools across the United Kingdom, and presented papers at national and international Carnival Arts conferences. His theatre involvement incudes acting and directing, spanning across various countries. He is currently completing a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Carnival Arts Studies, having previously attained his Master of Arts in Carnival Studies, both at The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT).

Shabaka's vision is to contribute to the economic liberation of African people through empowerment, leadership and the development of sustainable institutions and communities.