Abstract
With the emergence of Covid-19 global pandemic in 2019, festival tourism in the Caribbean suffered a significant decline in visitor arrivals, the closure of national borders and the inevitable cancellation of many events. Throughout the Caribbean Community the entertainment sector, which is a vital component of the region’s tourism product, continues to flounder as countries struggle with insufficient supplies of vaccines, low vaccination rates and high community spread of the virus. Amidst the economic demise of tourism, some festivals have managed to display resilience by staging their events virtually. Employing the wide gamut of technological options, some event promoters capitalized on the new opportunities generated by staging virtual events to regular supporters while reaching out to new audiences in the Caribbean diaspora and beyond. This chapter critically examines the strategic use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) by event promoters in the staging of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2020.
The ability or inability of societies to master technology, and particularly technologies that are strategically decisive in each historical period, largely shapes their destiny.
—Castells (1996, p. 7)
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Notes
- 1.
The Pierrot Grenade is a “a finely dressed masquerader and deeply learned scholar” who “delights in displaying his knowledge and ability to spell any word”. The character is dressed in a costume made with “multicoloured pieces of cloth” (National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago, 2020).
- 2.
The Water Riots of 1903 was “a protest against the imposition of an increased water rate upon the residents of Port-of-Spain”. In the immediate aftermath of the tragic event “16 people were killed on the spot or died of their wounds through the use of ‘authorised firing’ and 43 others treated at hospital for injuries received” (The National Archives, n.d.).
- 3.
The polio outbreak of 1972 caused the festivities to be shifted to May of that year (The National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago, 2021).
- 4.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), covid-19, also known as coronavirus, “Is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus” (2022a). “The virus can spread from an infected person’s mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they cough, sneeze, speak, sing or breathe” (WHO, 2022a).
- 5.
The UNCTAD Report indicated that ‘shocks’ were felt in the areas of trade, the economy, environment, health and the population (UNCTAD, 2021).
- 6.
The three events are the Chutney Soca Monarch, The International Soca Monarch and Pan Trinbago’s Pan Is Spirit.
- 7.
A Calypso Tent is a physical location where calypsonians perform primarily calypsoes, mainly during the annual Carnival celebrations in Trinidad and Tobago.
- 8.
This event is titled Lavway: Our Story. It is a film that tells the story of carnival in Trinidad and Tobago.
- 9.
Carnival chasers are persons who travel to multiple carnivals around the world.
- 10.
Guardian Media Limited owns the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian (print), CNC3 Television (television), the TBC Network (consisting of seven radio stations) and The Big Board Company (electronic billboards).
- 11.
ANSA McAL is a “Conglomerate in the Caribbean region with seventy-three companies spanning seven sectors in over eight territories” (ANSA McAL, 2017).
- 12.
Pan Is Spirit Concert Series by Pan Trinbago (the organizing body for steelpan in Trinidad and Tobago).
- 13.
Kaiso House Tent by the Trinbago Unified Calypsonian Organization (TUCO). TUCO is organizing body for calypsonians.
- 14.
Some of the institutions receiving the largest subventions are Pan Trinbago (for steelpan), the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (for calypso) and the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Bands Association (for mas and the masquerade).
- 15.
The International Soca Monarch, Chutney Soca Monarch, Pan Is Spirit Concert Series and Soca in White: Artistes for Artistes.
- 16.
NFT stand for Non-Fungible Token, which is A “digital asset that represents real-world objects like art, music, in-game items and videos” (Conti & Schmidt, 2022).
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Obika, A. (2024). Dancing in the Digital Domain: Mas, Media and Covid 19 in Caribbean Carnival. In: Dunn, H.S., Ragnedda, M., Ruiu, M.L., Robinson, L. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Everyday Digital Life . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30438-5_21
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