Should Children and Adults Celebrate Carnival Separately?

Carnival celebrates freedom, culture and self-expression, but does that freedom come with limits when children are part of the crowd and the parade? That question is once again dividing public opinion following this year’s Carnival Road March. The Belize Council of Churches is renewing its call to separate junior participants from adult revelers, arguing that some displays are inappropriate for young audiences. But the debate goes beyond the Church and Carnival organizers. Who should decide what crosses the line, and should adults change how they celebrate when children share the same road? Tonight, Shane Williams hears from the people at the heart of the controversy.

 

Shane Williams Reporting…

It is colorful. It is loud. It is energetic and for many Belizeans, it is an annual tradition that brings families, neighbors and friends together. But below the high decibels and beneath the beautiful costumes is a question that refuses to go away. Should children and adults be celebrating Carnival side by side? The Council of Churches says no.

 

Louis Wade, Church Senator

“It is time that the sponsors, including the Ministry of Culture and also the government of Belize, the committee take seriously the recommendation that it is time to separate the children from the adults. Because- It is true that at the current moment, the children dress differently from the adults, but adults are the example for children.”

 

Children may march in a separate segment and wear more modest costumes, but Louis Wade says that misses the point. He argues that the real concern is not how children dress, but the adult behavior and images they are exposed to on the road.

 

Louis Wade

“They, before the event and after the event, they are interacting in the same s- place, in the same space. They are being watched upon in the public space, and the public space does not only belong to Carnival revelers, it belongs to all of us.”

 

The call for a separate junior Carnival parade may sound like a simple solution, but it could come at a cost. The Belize Council of Churches wants the country to seriously consider splitting the junior and adult events. Pauline Bradley, who leads Soca Massive, one of Belize’s most successful junior bands, agrees the proposal has merit. But she warns that moving the children to a separate day could shrink the crowds and deny young revelers the support and recognition they deserve.

 

Pauline Bradley, Band Leader, Soca Massive

“Maybe if they separate it, we can get more support from parents and from the schools then. But we’re looking at where… ‘Cause it’s something that came up within the meeting where we normally have with the Carnival Association. And we always talk about it, and I think one of the reason why it wouldn’t be good because we feel like we wouldn’t get the public support and come out just to see the kids. ‘Cause we think majority of the time the public come out to see mostly the seniors. So that’s why I say it could be good, it could be bad.”

 

Bradley also has a blunt message for church leaders who criticize the behavior and attire of Carnival revelers.

 

Pauline Bradley

“God said not judge. That all I have to say. I don’t wanna say nothing bad about the church, but God said don’t judge.”

 

Then there is another side to this debate, one that has little to do with morality and everything to do with culture, tourism and money. Events promoter John Marsden has seen Carnival in different parts of the world and while he personally believes children should have their own parade, he says Belize has something other destinations do not.

 

John Marsden, Promoter

“Belize has a niche, right? Belize are the only Carnival where keep the, the babies into Carnival innovative with the Carnival. And I don’t necessarily fully agree with Carnival having adult and kids. I am one to say I think it needs to be separated but right now the niche is me and my family coming from abroad can maybe come and dance Carnival sold together everybody could partake in a Carnival. Carnival is a billion-dollar industry, and I really think that with thought and growth it could expand.”

 

For now, Belize’s Carnival remains a shared space but that brings us back to the uncomfortable question. If Carnival is being marketed as a family experience, what responsibility does that place on the adults taking part? Does protecting children mean creating a separate event or should the adults be forced to dress and behave more modestly as the church suggest? Shane Williams for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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