How traditional Carnival was born out of resistance

Rhoma Spencer pays homage to the activist origins of Trinidadian Carnival. »Subscribe to CBC Arts to watch more videos: http://bit.ly/CBCArtsSubscribe You may have noticed something something strange happening in the Bentway under the Gardiner expressway — a motley crew of colourful characters dancing in procession to the riddims of a four-piece band. While it celebrated some of the same spirit as Caribana, it wasn't hard to tell this was something different. This was traditional mas lead by the "Midnight Robber" Rhoma Spencer as a way to pay homage to the origins of Trinidadian Carnival. Spencer is a seasoned storyteller and champion of Caribbean theatre. While she does not take issue with the droves of bikini-clad dancers and feathered floats that take to the streets every year for the Caribana parade, her reason for displaying this parallel parade was simple: "There is more to the Carnival than that." Find us at http://bit.ly/CBCArtsWeb CBC Arts on Facebook: http://bit.ly/CBCArtsFacebook CBC Arts on Twitter: http://bit.ly/CBCArtsTwitter CBC Arts on Instagram: http://bit.ly/CBCArtsInstagram About: CBC Arts is your destination for extraordinary Canadian arts. Whether you're a culture vulture, a working artist, an avid crafter, a compulsive doodler or just a dabbler in the arts, there's something for you here. How traditional Carnival was born out of resistance    / cbcarts