Bacchanal!

Book excerpt: For two days each year Trinidad's capital, Port of Spain, hosts 'the greatest show on earth' - a raucous mix of music, costume and revelry known as Carnival. The festival has become more or less synonymous with the Caribbean island and is an intrinsic part of its identity and popular culture. Making extensive use of interviews with artists and other participants, BACCHANAL! explores the place of Carnival in Trinidadian society and the people who take part in it: -- How the festival reflects and affects attitudes towards religion, language, humour, politics, male-female relations and folk traditions. -- The historical role of Carnival, its roots in colonial society and slavery, and its traditional function as an expression of subversion and revolt. -- The effect of contemporary social and cultural influences on the dynamic, evolving phenomenon of Carnival. -- The increasing involvement of Indo-Trinidadians and women, the competing musical forms of reggae and soca, and the impact of tourism and commercialism.