Bernard Heydorn

The masquerade and masquerade band are integral parts of Caribbean history and culture. The slaves masqueraded or "played mas" to make fun of their masters and satirize them without being recognized.
When you put on a mask or costume for Halloween, Mardi Gras, a costume Ball or to play Mas, it gives you the opportunity to be different, to play other parts, be anonymous, be a child again, even in old age. At Carnival, the Bank Manager is rubbing shoulders with the garbage collector, unknown to each other. We do play many parts in life and the world is a stage as Shakespeare pointed out. The mask helps us to bring that about.
I love the feeling, the excitement, the opportunity to be in disguise and have fun. Over the years I have collected a variety of outfits and costumes that come in handy for dancing and masquerading. Folks who see me in public often see me in one of these outfits – an eccentricity, some call it.
I have attended carnival-like celebrations in several countries including Mardi Gras in New Orleans, in Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana, the Bahamas and even the first Caribana in Toronto in 1967. I have played many parts and like acting, "It's a strange job for a grown man", as Marlon Brando reportedly said.
As a child growing up in Guyana, the masquerade band always fascinated me. There were masked characters such as Mother Sally (Moco Jumbie in Trinidad). The costumes, the music, the "witchcraft", the dance and vitality stirred my imagination. These ceremonies and rituals are virtually universal, found in many cultures historically and even to the present day.
Some folks look down on all this dressing up and revelry as an excuse for "sinning". Bandits and bank robbers have used the mask to hide behind their criminal activities. In the Caribbean there is ongoing debate about the origin of Carnival, some saying that it came from Africa.
In costume, you can worship at the altar of Dionysian abandon, forget yourself, be a hero or a villain, be colourful, sensual, erotic, comical, historic or futuristic. Many folks lose their inhibitions behind the mask – pulsating, vibrating, moving, dancing, sweating, drinking, living a dream, a thousand dreams, an escape, a release, a wild, dizzy ride! Strangers become friends, less than beautiful people turn beautiful overnight with costume and make-up. The old look young, the shy become emboldened.
Beat the drums and ring the bells. Jump in a band, jump on the floor and enjoy yourself. This is much better than sitting in front of your T.V and watching life pass you by. You become an actor in your environment. Shake a leg – any leg will do. This is part of Caribbean history and culture. It runs in our genes.
There is a carnival for every season, be it summer, winter, spring or fall. In the "roaring twenties", the "flappers" donned costumes and danced all night long. Native people and cultures have costumed celebrations. Christmas is a carnival-like celebration and Santa Claus is masked.
Think of comic book, T.V. and movie masked characters like Masked Marvel – a superhero who dress as a special investigator in a business suit and mask and battles saboteurs intent on blowing up America; the Phantom – an immortal ghost with great strength, intellect and a fearsome reputation of defeating his opponents; the Lone Ranger and his sidekick Tonto who fight injustices in the American Wild West; the Green Hornet - a masked vigilante who dons his masked identity at night to fight crime. Apparently from what I hear on the news, some of these characters exist today in towns and cities,. adopting the role of the police
There is also Batman, having lost his parents during a robbery, he decided to fight crime and injustice in the dark city. His sidekick and disciple is Robin, a young kid. Do you remember Zorro, the dashing Spanish nobleman turned outlaw who defends the people of the land against tyrannical officials and other villains?
The current protestors in our cities around the world could certainly use one or more of these superheroes to fight the injustices we see everywhere and bring about a more fair, equitable and just society. Who knows, a Robin Hood-type hero might rise up as a result of these protests, with or without a mask, and save most of us!
If my costumes and masks could talk, they would tell quite a tale. In the meanwhile I enjoy being the man behind the mask. Have an enjoyable Halloween. If the creeks don't rise and the sun still shines, I'll be talking to you.

 

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