Inside EMCCAN 2019-2020

Photos: Blacktomcat Photography

LEICESTER * NORTHAMPTON * DERBY * NOTTINGHAM For the 2020 dates please see the back cover.

Dr Dennis Christopher Chairman - EMCCAN What a challenging year it has been for EMCCAN, as with many arts and cultural organisations around the world who have been affected by global crisis at this time.

On November 16th 2019 Mr George Mighty MBE stepped down from his position as Chairman and I assumed the role, stepping up from Vice Chairman.

Mr George Mighty has dedicated many years to the success of EMCCAN since its formation, and on behalf of the board I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for building this partnership and to Derby West Indian Community Association for supporting the operations, fundraising, communication and growth since the beginning. I would also like to thank Peter Walker as Independent Board member and Chair of Finance sub-committee for all his contributions to the progress of EMCCAN, as he resigned from the board.

We welcome two new Independent Board Directors Ansel Wong and Nathifa Jordan. Samantha Hudson will be the Derby Caribbean Carnival representative.

At EMCCAN we demonstrate true partnership, where the four East Midland Caribbean carnivals in Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and Northampton successfully delivered Caribbean carnivals in the summer of 2019, and Derby Caribbean Carnival that hosted the annual Costume Competition at the Derby Theatre. The UK Caribbean Carnival Tour continued throughout the summer of 2019 and became a huge success, despite lack of Arts Council project funds this year, it was

Mr George Mighty MBE Former chairman - EMCCAN

underpinned by a key contract with the Cricket World Cup, providing TV and global exposure for the excellent carnival work of the local troupes and artists in the region. The tour came to an end in November 2019 after 44 events around the UK. EMCCAN built strong partnerships, bringing Caribbean carnival arts to the seaside towns, rural areas and sporting events.

Our past four years of touring has grown in popularity and certainly exceeded our expectations. Many regional artists and troupes have benefitted from this creativity, gaining international exposure and employment opportunities.

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation and ACE programme ‘Catalyst Evolve’ has helped unlock 121 match funding to disperse amongst the four carnivals. It has enabled EMCCAN to look at ways of delivering carnival arts in schools and provide two in-depth studies to 2 schools.

EMCCAN was able to employ project co-ordinators to deliver the project and a documentary about the findings. EMCCAN is a partner in the Derby Cultural Education Partnership and Strategic Cultural Group.

Thanks to our main funder, Arts Council England, tour partners, sponsors, the general public for their generous donations, EMCCAN Board members, staff and volunteers for their unwavering support and hard work. It is this dedication that brings carnival alive for all to see.

Donna Fox Chief Executive - EMCCAN 2020 has seen cancellation and postponement of all four carnivals and the regional costume competition in the East Midlands, UK touring and schools workshops, due to government restrictions on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nottingham, Leicester, Northampton and Derby Caribbean Carnivals have pulled together with a board planning group to deliver a varied programme of online carnival arts activities.

2020 Virtual Carnival Season ran from April to August to engage the carnival community while they were on Lockdown. Instead of the Regional Costume Competition, an online mask and head-dress making competition was open to entries, with a “greener Carnival” theme using recycled materials which could found around the home. We had three international online workshops from Emma Garofalo from Northampton (currently in India), Theo Cooper from CACIQUE Award winning Junkanoo Commandos in The Bahamas and Chadd Cumberbatch in Montserrat. Local carnivals organised online celebrations on the actual days when carnivals were due to happen. National Windrush Day on 22nd June hosted a tribute to all the valuable contributions the Caribbean community have made to British Society through poetry, music and chair soca, online galleries and films. A collaborative Regional Virtual Carnival on 25th July will engage artists from around the region. We have supported carnival artists through new online zoom meetings with a focus on fundraising, to replace the fundraising surgeries that take place every year. CAN – Carnival

Artists Network is under EMCCAN umbrella to nurture talent that underpins the carnival infrastructure and has proven successful, with support from Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy Network Funding.

George Mighty MBE resigned from his position as Chairman in November 2019 after developing EMCCAN since its inception. I would like to thank George for the many years of dedication he gave to the organisation and for the personal and professional guidance he has offered me over the past nine years. Dennis Christopher (Sugar) as Vice Chair stepped up to the position of Chairman, leading a re-modelling phase, engaging the four carnivals and new board members in the next chapter for EMCCAN, in this uncertain world.

Re-modelling EMCCAN is a programme of activities that has been running since September 2019 to present, with an organisational grant from Arts Council England.

EMCCAN has been able to re-examine its direction, governance and business models, with support from consultants Keith Jeffrey and Marcus Cato. In the light of the pandemic it is necessary to revisit business models and re-model the organisation in order to be sustainable to support carnivals in the East Midlands in the future. Emccan has recently moved to Quad following 4 years of successful carnival arts delivery in Sneinton Market. Emccan was invited to perform OUTDOORS at the Derby Market place food court press launch which was a refreshing change. It was wonderful to see all the carnival performers again from around the region.

Derby Caribbean Carnival hosted the 9th 2019: annual Carnival Costume Competition (aka Queen Show) on 15th June 2019. This event is the highlight of the East Midlands calendar. The four carnivals in Nottingham, Derby, Northampton and Leicester supported by entering King, Queen, Prince and Princess Carnival costumes, to compete for the regional prize.

Derby West Indian Community Association /Derby Caribbean Carnival set up a pro-active committee to ensure smooth running of this hugely successful carnival experience.

It was an evening of true carnival spirit, from the moment you walked through the doors of Derby Theatre, being enlightened with steel pan being played by EMPAN (Pure Steel, UKTrinni & Friends, DWICA steel pan ensemble led by Nicola Coker).

The exhibition displayed vibrant costumes from around the region, there was singing, dancing and music on the main stage bringing the theatre to life on a very special evening. Mr George Mighty MBE was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award, beautifully presented by Arts Council England representative Rebecca Blackman and lifetime friend and carnival champion Arthur France.

Photos: Blacktomcat Photography

2020 event postponed due to COVID-19. The next event will be hosted by Leicester Caribbean Carnival at Peepul Centre in 2021. See www.emccan.org for more details. Online head-dress making and mask making competition replaces this event for 2020.

Regional Costume Competition

Fundraising Surgeries

The partnership between EMCCAN, Derby Theatre and Derby Caribbean Carnival encouraged the development of young talent at the Regional costume competition in June 2019. A young Director led the process of event management, supported by the steering committee.

ACE Dance and Music, EMPAN steel band, Donna Briscoe-Greene and Sonam and Friends encouraged young people to perform in a prestigious setting at Derby Theatre.

EMCCAN held a fundraising surgery in November 2019 where Arts Council England (ACE) Relationship Manager – Peter Stones - met with 10 artists and troupe leaders from around the region. There was follow up support from EMCCAN Chief Executive - Donna Fox for some of the artists and troupes. In East Midlands there were successful ACE National Lottery Project Grants for Kamala Smyle Wisdom (Leicester) Sensational Vibes, Stanley Carey (Nottingham) Ancestors, Solomon Hunter (Nottingham) Inspire Urself, ZCC (Northampton) Zion Christian Church events charity and Farida Kavde (Leicester).

Nurturing Talent Each carnival in the region supports local young people and emerging carnival leaders at community grass roots level. EMCCAN has also centrally taken on a mentoring role to nurture potential talent, encouraging artists, project co-ordinators, tour managers and workshop leaders. Work placements and volunteering roles have been encouraged, as well as progressing some staff and artists to professional paid roles within the UK tour and Education programme.

Artist Commissions Thanks to Arts Council England Emergency Funding, EMCCAN is able to commission 20 artists in 2020. Niaz Stephenson and Amal Hudson took part in a cultural exchange to the Bahamas where they learned about “Junkanoo” and visited places of historical interest and local museums. CRCT Troupe Leader Samantha Hudson/DWICA/Derby Caribbean Carnival.

“The Windrush – Caribbean Peoples contribution to the Cultural and Economic Development of the United Kingdom”, was the theme to mark thirty four years (34) of Leicester Caribbean Carnival on August 2nd, 2019.

Over 50,000 people turned up at Victoria Park and City Centre to celebrate with the organisers and participants who worked really hard to ensure carnival took place, even with increased costs and other challenges to overcome.

Nine Local and eight visiting costumed bands, all focusing on the Windrush theme, participated in the parade to the city centre and back to Victoria Park for their individual performances in the main arena with back up music by Viking Sounds from Leicester .

The parade started bang on time following the opening ceremony at Granville Road.

Prayers and Short speeches by local dignitaries were followed by the cutting of the ribbon to mark the start of the parade and Carnival Day activities.

All five performance areas attracted large numbers with each stage fielding performances aimed at specific audiences. There was the ever popular Aba Shanti, Soca Village with performers and Dee Jays from Leicester, Birmingham, Leeds and Nottingham. The Main Stage Featured artists and live bands from London, Northampton and Leicester’s own Tann-I Browne and crew, as he released his new Reggae Album. There were also activities in the Children’s Village, a large Funfair, as well as a Body Building and Fitness Showcase by UKBFF. On hand to cover the activities live on the day were BBC Radio Leicester and Leicester Community Radio. Thanks to all our volunteers and support staff who helped to make the event a success.

Kamala Smyle Wisdom from the group Sensational Vibes, Leicester continues her reign as EMCCAN Regional Queen 2019.

Kamala wowed the judges and the crowd at the Derby Theatre in June last year in her Windrush Inspired Costume. The costume was designed and built by Hughbon Condor of Leeds. This makes it two consecutive years that Leicester has taken the crown.

In 2018 Holly Southwell from Leicester won both the EMCCAN Queen and the Leeds Carnival Queen titles.

The theme for Leicester Caribbean Carnival 2020 is: “Stronger Together – Eradicating Racism with One Love” Carnival Day: 1 August 2020, Victoria Park, Leicester Celebrating 35 years of Caribbean Carnival in Leicester, as we unite the islands and community as one.

See online celebration for 2020: www.leicestercarnival35.co.uk

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The Nottingham Carnival 2019 was held on Sunday 18th August. Unlike last year the weather was considerably improved and so the attendance was much better, with approximately 15,000 attending in total twice as much as the number of visitors in the previous year.

As always is the case, the Nottingham Carnival combines two elements; the artistically spectacular Carnival Parade and the Musical Festival activities on the Carnival Site featuring five musical zones; both events provided excellent entertainment for the thousands of spectators from Nottingham and from other parts of the country.

This year the Carnival Parade featured 18 separate elements with visitors from Leicester, Derby, Huddersfield, London, Leeds and Luton. As usual there was a truly traditional carnival art display on the parade including for the first time the Grenada Shortknee from Majestic (UK) London. In addition we had the world famous Origin Moko Jumbie dancing on their tall stilts featuring the reigning Carnival Queen of Trinidad and Tobago, Shynel Brizan, as always our local Ancestors Troupe with their ‘St Kitts Traditional Masquerade’, the fabulous Nottingham Zodiac All Stars with their Bahamas Junkanoo carnival art and representing traditional Brazilian Carnival Art, the outstanding ABC Dance School with their Maracatu style costumes. We are known in Nottingham for promoting traditional carnival art which in all cases demonstrates the deep West African roots of Caribbean and Brazilian carnivals, more than you will see in in any other UK carnival. To top this up, we also had the Nostalgia Steelband with the original steelpan art of ‘pan around de neck’.

Last year the outstanding Nottingham based ABC Dance School took most of the prizes and this year we had a similar result for Ginger Grocock’s Zodiac All Stars Nottingham and their ‘Flight of the Bahamas’ which won the awards for Best Troupe, Best Carnival Art and Best Stage Performance. ABC Dance School and their MaraCANCANtu winning the Judges Special Award.

It is twenty one years since Tuntum Housing Association and its Chief Executive, Richard Renwick took leadership over the carnival delivering magnificent entertainment featuring, colourful costumes, lively dances and a diversity of musical entertainment including international acts. As Richard said; ‘’We are very proud of our tradition in Nottingham of developing some of the best carnival artists in the region. This year we featured a hugely diverse display including the artistic traditions described above plus some fantastic puppets from Nottingham City Arts. We are truly the artistic hub for carnival art in the region”.

On a final note we would like to thank Nottingham City Council, all our sponsors, funders, partner organisations including the local media and most importantly the 120 plus volunteers who together helped us deliver a very successful 2019 Nottingham Carnival.

See online celebration on 23rd August 2020: www.nottinghamcarnival.com

It is now common knowledge that Derby City Council no longer provides financial support for the infrastructure costs (purchasing of services, equipment and facilities to meet health and safety regulations for outdoor events). That said, the carnival still receives support through EMCCAN with Arts Council England funding the event.

We are pleased to inform you that Derby Caribbean Carnival Planning Group invested in its volunteers and secured 10 volunteers on to Lantra Awards Traffic Management for Community Events (TMCE) this is a vocational qualification which is nationally recognised.

It was important for us to do this because the effects of funding cuts to the Derbyshire Police authority meant they no longer take responsibility for traffic management at pre-planned events (like carnivals), unless they are of national significance or are a potential risk to public safety. This training course has been developed

by Lantra, in partnership with Cormac Solutions to provide event organisers with the knowledge required to create a Traffic Management Plan and an understanding of issues affecting highway users, pedestrians, and event staff safety, e.g. being able to identify typical hazards and appropriate control measures related to the activity.

2019 Derby Caribbean Carnival (44th year) This year we enjoyed another warm summer’s day with temperatures recorded between 22-23 degree Celsius. This brought out large crowd numbers from 10.00am at the Market Place. Again Derby saw over 400 troupe members travelling from Nottingham, Leicester, Leeds, Preston, Luton, London and of course Derby. Cameras at the ready and keen photographers alongside the professional ones had over 2 hours to take hundreds of photographs, ask the troupes as many questions as they could about their creative artwork design and construction of their costumes to capture the stories to enrich their experience @ the Market Place (phase one).

See online celebration for 2020: https://bit.ly/2Y9SJT6

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2019 was an exciting time for Northampton Carnival Arts Consortium as we celebrated our 15th Northampton Carnival on Saturday 8th June. Our theme “15 Years of Creating Magic through Carnival” set the stage to reflect our carnival journey and for another spectacular event for the enjoyment of the people of Northamptonshire and for visitors.

Local schools and organisations along with local and regional vendors joined us in creating carnival magic by transforming The Racecourse into an amazing fantasy carnival world of fun and excitement for the whole family. We were happy to welcome some first-timers to our parade: Pattishall C of E School, SunCare, Oh My Carnival from Northampton; Spectacularts from Bedford; and Inspire Urself from Nottingham; which evidences the growth of carnival and carnival arts in Northampton. “Oh My Carnival” went on to represent Northampton in the EMCCAN Regional Costume Show.

This is very encouraging, and we are looking forward to working with this young carnivalist to develop her troupe and be able to represent Northampton in the Midlands.

This year as NCAC commemorates 15 years we also celebrate the relationship we have built with local schools and groups who look forward every year to participating in our parade and coming up with creative interpretations of our theme. We celebrate the commitment and the hard work of our regular volunteers who have been with us through the years and we welcome new ones that have come on board.

And, we are proud to celebrate the partnership bond with our East Midlands carnivals, made even stronger through EMCCAN and its untiring efforts to support us in making our event possible.

On carnival day despite the inclement weather a wide variety of stalls set up on The Racecourse with an enticing assortment of delicious food and drink, alluring arts, crafts, clothing and jewellery and fabulous charity displays. The thrill of the fun fair added to the excitement while the stage pulsated with a fantastic

showcase of local and regional talent. At 2 pm, led by the traditional troupe of cyclists, the breath-taking carnival parade set off from the park in to town.

It consisted of 21 spectacular floats and troupes which also included visiting troupes from our EMCCAN partners Derby, Leicester and Nottingham.

This year the newly inducted Mayor of Northampton, Nazim Choudary stood on the steps of The Guildhall to take a Carnival salute from each participating float and troupe adding a special touch to our 15th Northampton Carnival.

Back at the park the crowd continued to build as people wandered from stall to stall sampling the tasty food on sale and being tempted by other goodies. The stage provided non-stop entertainment until the return of the parade to the park which was followed by exhilarating performances on stage by our visiting troupes and the awesome ZCC musicians, First Love Society and Potters House. To bring the event to a thrilling conclusion the female London based trio “Soca Divettes” captivated the audience with their fabulous performance bringing the curtain down on our 15th Northampton Carnival.

Producing our 15th Northampton Carnival was both exciting and challenging as we were without an office base, having had to vacate the one we had occupied for several years at The Portfolio Centre, due to changes at the University of Northampton. However, the generous community spirit of the proprietor of local business “Icons” has allowed us storage space for some of our office equipment and documents along with access to workspace and to have meetings. In addition to this we received invaluable assistance from EMCCAN, Northampton Borough Council and Northampton BID to overcome the challenges and make our 15th celebration happen successfully. We are also proud to have been a part of the October launch of the county’s tourism campaign “Northamptonshire, Britain’s Best Surprise” which will run throughout 2020, The Year of Art and Culture.

See online celebration for 2020: www.northamptoncarnival.co.uk

EMCCAN is pleased to announce its most successful year so far in engaging with children and young people through an extensive Carnival In Education programme.

ThisIsDERBY / DCEP / DCCT As an active partner in Derby Cultural Education Partnership (DCEP), EMCCAN was a lead hub for schools workshops in Sinfin, Derby, working alongside other arts and sports partners across the City. Derby County Community Trust (DCCT) commissioned EMCCAN to organise activities for over 400 young people a week, which was really well received. It meant that Carnival Artists across the region were employed to deliver workshops in dance, music, costume design and build. Shaie Hayden was the project co-ordinator and did a fantastic job of liaising with schools, artists and organising events and workshops. Donna BriscoeGreene, Maddie Johnson and other volunteers supported the activities on the ground. A pool of artists were recruited from each of the four carnival areas to deliver workshops for education, touring and future projects. The project culminated in a wonderful parade throughout the city, where EMCCAN brought 90 performers to bring the city to life.

Paul Hamlyn Foundation – Explore and Test We are thankful to Paul Hamlyn Foundation for their grant of £26,000, matched by Arts Council’s Catalyst Evolve programme to deliver an intense project exploring the way we deliver Caribbean Carnival Arts in schools. The strong project team consisted of Resident Artists Charis Betts and Jess Kemp, Project co-ordinators Rosa Straw and Maddie Johnson, researcher Richard Flether, film maker Quince Garcia, film presenter Sonam Sandhu, digital artist Honey Williams and Donna Fox overseeing the project.

Two different theories were explored, using the Loose Parts Theory and Whole School National Curriculum approach.

EMPAN – Steel Band Nicola Coker from Pure Steel worked alongside Glen Charles from UK Trinni and Friends, Derby West Indian Community Centre and other steel pan enthusiasts to create a Steel Band from scratch, as part of the ThisIsDERBY project. The band learned new tunes every week, rehearsed at Derby West Indian Community Centre, performed at tour events in London Ride the Night Women V Cancer event, Treetops Hospice Startlight Strut in Derby, Wirksworth / Altitude Festival, Gadkhalsa Awards Ceremony and Derby parades.

15 participants enjoyed the new skill and brought smiles to many people’s faces with their Calypso tunes.

Arts Award

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EMCCAN is an Arts Award Centre and has 11 volunteers trained to deliver Bronze and Silver in Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and Northampton. We plan to expand the programme to include Discover and Explore in the summer of 2020.

Mask Making Competition 2020 Young people aged 8-16 years are invited to take part in a Mask Making Competition which will replace the annual Regional Costume Competition in 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event has been cancelled.

Instead we are able to bring Carnival workshops to the home environment through online films made by three top artists who are on LOCKDOWN around the world.

Theo Cooper representing Junkanoo Commandos in The Bahamas, Chadd Cumberbatch in Montserrat and Emma Garofolo in India have been busy generating ideas of how we can make masks using recycled materials you can find around the home.

For details of how to enter please contact Donna Fox: emccan.donna@aol.com Touring – schools workshops EMCCAN has undertaken a number of touring activities around the country, to share Caribbean Carnival Arts with children and teachers alike.

ucation

2020 Virtual Carnival Season runs from April to August to engage the carnival community while they are in “Lockdown”.

Online celebrations form four carnivals in Northampton, Leicester, Nottingham and Derby are organising their own online activities on the actual days when carnivals were due to happen.

We have DJs, online gallery, footage of past parades and stage performances, quizzes and much more using various social media platforms.

2020 Regional Costume Competition will be replaced by an online mask and head-dress making competition will be open to entries, with a “greener Carnival” theme using recycled materials you can find around your home. To offer inspiration we offer four international online workshops from Emma Garofalo in India and Theo Cooper from the CACIQUE Award winning Junkanoo Commandos in The Bahamas. Via youtube.

National Windrush Day on 22nd June EMCCAN will host a tribute to all the valuable contributions the Caribbean community have made to British Society through poetry, music and chair Soca, online galleries and films.

CAN – Carnival Artists Network is under EMCCAN umbrella to nurture talent that underpins the carnival infrastructure and is proving successful, with support from Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy Network Funding. Three events have taken place in May and June 2020 with further online discussions planned for the summer.

Regional Virtual Carnival Day on 25th July will engage artists from around the region. We are supporting carnival artists through a new online zoom meetings with a focus on fundraising, to replace the fundraising surgeries that take place every year.

Check out the “EMCCAN” Facebook page for up to date details and links to the online events or e-mail emccan.donna@aol.com for a competition registration pack. www.emccan.org

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EMCCAN has developed a successful programme of activities to enhance sporting events around the country. This includes the annual opening ceremony at Grantham Mini Olympics, Derby Treetops Starlight Strut sponsored walk, Walk the Night in London and Ride The Night charity Women V Cancer in Windsor and Edinburgh, as well as more recently the Cricket World Cup. The four Caribbean Carnivals work together to bring Caribbean Carnival Arts to large scale sporting events, offering large costumes of King and Queen performers at the start line, steel pan and samba bands, walk about and selfie Zones where members of the public can try on costumes and head-dresses to take selfies and post on the event pages. Costumed performers from Nottingham, Leicester, Derby and Northampton

bring the streets to life through their high energy dance and music displays, costumed walkabouts, exhibitions and photography for all to share in the Caribbean Culture and traditions.

The Cricket World Cup – UK tour of 7 locations This programme was a highlight of the wider tour.

We travelled to Taunton, Nottingham, Durham, Manchester and more, supporting the West Indies team with Caribbean Carnival costumes on the world stage and side of the pitch. In addition to this we also performed at the Fanzones in Nottingham and Leeds (supported by Mark Evans). Maddie Johnson took on the challenging role as Tour Manager for the Cricket World Cup and did a fantastic job!

The Night – London – This was the second time ngWalk events we have been invited to cheer on the walkers through

London as they raise money for Cancer charities (male and female cancers). Thousands of walkers went through the night from London Kings Cross, past the London Eye and along a mapped out route. EMCCAN performers from Derby, Leicester and Nottingham gave them a carnival cheer form the start line, with steel pan players warming up the crowd and King and Queen costumed performers leading the walk for the first 200 meters, then returning to do the same again for the next wave. It was very well received by the crowd and dancers brought the audience to join in the carnival spirit.

Mini-Olympics – Grantham – A three day event in June 2019. Inspire + invited EMCCAN to lead the opening and closing ceremonies for their annual schools sporting event in Grantham, Lincolnshire. Mark Evans pulled together a team of talented performers to depict the theme of “The Greatest Sportsperson”. With a feel of circus and carnival, stilt-walkers and drummers took over 1400 children around the athletic stadium to launch their annual event. Many schools followed EMCCAN performers with banners and our headdresses, teachers dressed up and dancers took the stage.

Ride The Night – Windsor and Edinburgh – EMCCAN performers are no stranger to Windsor Racecourse (May every year), where thousands of cyclists set off to London and back to raise money for Women’s Cancer charities. Edinburgh (September 2019) was a first for the partnership and it rained the whole time. That did not stop Leicester dancers and the Snow Queen from cheering on the cyclists on their quest to raise money for this good cause. This is a strong partnership with Dream Challenges, introduced by Tara Lopez in 2016. 2020 events have been cancelled but we look forward to the next one in 2021.

We thank the tour staff Mark Evans, Maddie Johnson, Shaie Hayden and volunteers Donna Briscoe-Greene and Leah Frederick, Nezrine Hudson and Juliette Brade and all the regional performers for helping to make it all happen.

For more details of how to bring a carnival feel to your sporting event, email CEO Donna Fox: emccan.donna@aol.com or see www.emccan.com

There are over 340 volunteers in the East Midlands who make carnivals happen each year. Although every single contribution is invaluable, we would like to throw a spotlight on a few here. A massive thank you to everyone involved.

EMCCAN would like to thank volunteers who have made a valuable contribution to 2019 touring, carnival in education, finance administration, events and marketing: Donna Briscoe-Greene Leah Frederick Doreen Briscoe-Thompson

Derby Caribbean Carnival would like to thank: Angella Mighty MBE DWICA Secretary - Angella has been a volunteer to DWICA since 1986 and continues to be a critical part of the planning and delivery process for Derby Caribbean Carnival from the start to the end, for over 30 years. She has had responsibility for: Touring with CRCT to cities, regionally and nationally to represent Derby (at their respective carnivals); All carnival documentation; Offering advice and guidance to the planning group based on experience and good practices; Lead Procession manager; Stage management team; Part of the logistic troubleshooting team on the day

Mable Slater DWICA Treasurer - Mable is another person who is critical to the planning and delivery of carnival. Mable takes on responsibility for: Touring with CRCT to cities, regionally and nationally to represent Derby (at their respective carnivals); CRCT Logistical planning for transport to all carnivals; All catering purchases; All catering duties and responsibilities for the troupes when on tour; Head Bar person - Bar duties & responsibilities; Ensuring all volunteers receive refreshment on the day; Part of the logistic troubleshooting team on the day; Spending long hours to sew all difficult processes relating to the costumes. Mable has been a volunteer to DWICA since 1995 and continues to be a critical part of the planning and delivery of Derby Caribbean Carnival from the start to the end for over 20 years.

It is fair to say Angella and Mable do a lot more than the above list which is a summary of what they do.

In addition, both undertake officers’ duties and responsibilities for DWICA which covers all the

organisation’s activities, services etc… As a result of their longstanding commitment to DWICA they are well respected by all and their time and effort is truly appreciated by Derby Caribbean Carnival Planning group.

The CRCT parents and volunteers, who supported them during rehearsals, and going on tour; Laura Hill and Jessica Kemp, (our costume designers) for their dedication, to the design and building process of all the costumes; StacyJ Pepper- for her DJ skills doing the 2019 CRCT troupe music mix and for going on tour with CRCT ensuring the music was fit for purpose.

In addition, being part of the CRCT planning group; Nezrine Hudson for her ongoing commitment to the logistical planning to enable CRCT to go on tour during the carnival season. In addition to spending long hours to sew all difficult processes relating to the costumes.

Derby Caribbean Carnival would like to say a big thank you to Samantha Hudson as CRCT Troupe Leader and Niaz Stephenson as Asst. CRCT Troupe Leader.

EMCCAN was invited to launch the Derby Market Place food court on the press night with VIPs, as the first outdoor arts carnival related activity in the region since lockdown.

Visit Derby and Derby City Council took the plunge to engage Caribbean carnival costumes from around the East Midlands to launch the newly designed seated area

by Katapult, to support local businesses, restaurants and bars in the vicinity.

Photos: Quince Garcia

international

Beijing – China Mr Ansel Wong, Director and founder of Notting Hill’s Elimu Mas Band, invited East Midlands representatives to take part in their annual trip to China for the first time. This was the 12th year that Elimu Mas had been involved. EMCCAN CEO - Donna Fox, Samantha Hudson from Derby and Richard Renwick from Nottingham Joined Elimu Mas Academy, Notting Hill Carnival band to represent UK and Trinidad Carnivals in the Beijing International Tourism Festival in China. The group were also joined by two people Toronto and two MOKO JUMBIE performers from Shanghai.

Design: The costumes made a real impact with their vibrant colours and unique designs. The Festival organisers felt that it would create a big impact if

we went on stage last before the finale so the audience could be left feeling uplifted and inspired. We were honoured to wear costumes by renowned designers Melissa Simon-Hartman for the female Hibiscus flower costumes and Helen Davenport for the Sun costumes and silk flags for the males which were transported with the group from the UK. Performances: The group performed alongside many other countries for the Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony, culminating in a full colourful stage rich with cultural dance presentations, traditional music and authentic costumes from around the world. The performance programme included various locations in the Beijing EXPO, to include stage costume displays, routines and two short parades.

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Moko Jumbies: Glenis Paul and her son Alemayehu Lester Paul travelled from where they live in Shanghai to Beijing to perform with the group. They made a dramatic impact as they towered above the other performers and also walked through the streets of Beijing in costume at night. See a documentary made

by Quince Garcia about their experiences as Moko Jumbies living in China: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=nchWXp63ugA The Great Wall: We were privileged to have a half day at The Great Wall of China where many members of the group walked up to the seventh platform. It was a real eye opener with beautiful views, climbing hundreds of steps, giving us all a sense of achievement as we explored the historical significance.

This was definitely a highlight of the trip for everyone.

An unforgettable memory!

Local culture: Ansel engaged travel agent Flight Connection who have been helping with this trip for many years. Vino Patel (supported by Claire) did a fabulous job of co-ordinating the trip, visas, hotels, flights, ground transportation, meals, tourism activities and performance schedules. Stop-overs at Chinese medicine outlets, traditional merchandise markets, monumental buildings, visits to Tiananmen Square and ancient villages all added to the enlightening cultural experience. A visit to the Trinidad Embassy was another highlight of the trip.

Future trips: Unfortunately, the 2020 trip has been postponed but we aim to get involved in the Beijing / Shanghai trips in 2021. We all thank Ansel for this incredible experience!

Photos on left by Donna Fox. Photos on right by Quince Garcia

Virtual Carnival Season 2020 – International online workshops EMCCAN has engaged artists working internationally for the online workshops as part of the Virtual Carnival Season. Three artists in The Bahamas, Montserrat and India have been pleased to get involved in online delivery for the first time, so that we can encourage young people and artists, troupe members and leaders to get creative during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period.

India – Emma Garofalo is a Northampton based artist but spends much of her time in Kerala in India. During the pandemic she was able to share her skills for mask making so that we could inspire children to take part in the East Midlands virtual competition. Emma is former Northampton Queen and former winner of EMCCAN Queen show and runs her own carnival company Mischief Makers.

The Bahamas – Theo Cooper, one of the lead artists in the CACIQUE Award winning Junkanoo Commandos delivered a mask making and a head-dress making working online in May 2020 for the EMCCAN Virtual Carnival Season. Director Angelique McKay organised the collaboration to inspire people for their own creations. This follows an ongoing partnership between UK / East Midlands artists and EMCCAN, ever since Angelique presented at a Carnival Conference in 2015.

Junkanoo Commandoes tour internationally to share their Junkanoo culture and traditions, exquisite designs, powerful and passionate dance and music displays.

Montserrat – Chadd Cumberbatch is both a visual and performing artist. He delivered two online workshops for the Virtual Season which can be found on youtube. He holds a double major degree in Theatre Arts and Carnival studies, and is former Director of Montserrat Arts Council. He studied fashion textiles at Brighton Polytechnic in the UK and has won local and regional awards for his fashion and costume design. He also writes, and has won numerous awards for his poetry and published a book. We are honoured to have him on board and look forward to future collaborations.

Workshops can be found on EMCCAN youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2CzrEkU

Spotlight on Samantha Hudson Aug ’19: Barbados - research for Carnival: Man Behind the Mask community arts project and spoke with Betty West, one of Barbados leading Carnival costume designers for Crop Over.

Oct ’19: Samatha Hudson joined Elimu Mas Band / Notting Hill for the trip to China discussed on the Internaitonal Page.

Oct’19: Carnival: Man Behind the Mask’ Fine Art Exhibition’, of black & white oil on canvas portraits acknowledging African Caribbean’s contribution to British society through Carnival Arts in partnership with QUAD. With youth art & Derby CRCT dance performance, costumes exhibits came to life through dance as Sam hosted an international Carnival Vs Junkanoo LIVE satellite linkup to the Bahamas for a Q & A session with Angelique McKay from Junkanoo Commandos. Derby youths supported the setting up the touring art exhibition at QUAD, DWICA, Arboretum Orangery with further dates at Derby College and Derby Museum. Project funded by Derby City Council Small Arts Grant. https://youtu.be/cj9u9tdueFg Dec ’19: Derby’s second international cultural exchange to the Bahamas in 2018 & December ’19 led by Samantha, supported Derby’s 2019 EMCCAN King Niaz Stephenson to explore the cultural roots of Carnival Vs Junkanoo. The group visited the Slavery museum and Hurricane Dorian art exhibition. Samantha met with two Bahamas disability organisations, spoke with CEO Caroline Turnquest from Bahamas Red Cross on behalf of Derby’s The Jamie Simpson Trust to support the Hurricane Dorian aftermath. Our Derby group explored local Junkanoo shacks, costume workshops, visited Junkanoo House & attended 2019 Junkanoo Boxing Day parade.

Feb ’20: travelled with an EMCCAN board member to Germany and visited Boppard Carnival, Rhineland Carnival, Kamp Bormhofem Carnival and Koblenz Carnival to address environmentally friendly costume making and recycling materials for float designs for a greener Carnival.

EMCCAN has been touring around the UK successfully since 2016 and continued to wow audiences during 2019 with support from tour partners and the Cricket World Cup. The four Caribbean Carnivals work together to bring Caribbean Carnival Arts to areas of low engagement in culturally diverse art forms, such as seaside towns, rural areas and large scale sporting events. Costumed performers from Nottingham, Leicester, Derby and Northampton bring the streets to life through their high energy dance and music displays, costumed walkabouts, exhibitions and photography for all to share in the Caribbean Culture and traditions.

2019 saw 44 events around the UK, the most we have done yet! UK touring to rural areas, seaside towns and sporting events continued with existing partners, led by Tour Manager Mark Evans who has supported EMCCAN touring for three years. Performers visited Derbyshire, Blackpool, Grantham, London, Windsor and many more.

Once momentum gathers for our touring, there is no stopping us!

The Cricket World Cup was a highlight of the tour, involving 7 games in Taunton, Nottingham, Durham, Manchester and more, supporting the West Indies team with Caribbean Carnival costumes on the world stage and side of the pitch. Derby King and Queen and Cultural Roots representatives displayed fabulous dance routines, supported by Nezrine Hudson.

Leicester dancers, supported by Juliette Brade, were in demand and did not stop all day, as fans wanted selfies.

Athan Martin and Yasmin Long were interviewed by Sky Sports and Xtreme Mas (Leicester) and Zodiac All Stars (Nottingham) were seen on TV around the globe. Ancestors Troupe were superstars, and former head batman Viv Richards came around to the world stage especially to see Jerry and be photographed with Ancestors from Nottingham. Maddie Johnson took on the challenging role as Tour Manager for these events and did a fantastic job!

Photos by Peter Walker

2020 summer tour is on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and many of the tour events have been cancelled due to mass gatherings. Usually thousands of people gather to see the East Midlands performers and have selfies with the King and Queen costumes.

However, we would like to thank all our touring partners and hope to brign a bigger and better impact in 2021.

Autumn / winter 2020 plans – we are hopeful that by the winter we will be able to socially distance for involvement in Derby Feste and Opening Derby activities, night time parades around the region, exhibitions and film screenings, workshops when it is safe to do so. Planned visits to Blackpool and Boston in November may still be possible in some capacity.

2020 PLANS It is difficult to predict when it will be safe to go outdoors again for a carnival parade but we hope to take part in some night time winter parades for 2020, including Boston and Blackpool in November, which we have done in the past. Watch this space!

BITTERSWEET CARNIVAL Artist Honey Williams was commissioned to produce an artistic evaluation of the Paul Hamlyn project working with schools from September to December 2019. This piece has become quite relevant to the Black Lives Matter movement and EMCCAN will be proud to exhibit the large print when it is safe to host exhibitions.

Re-modelling EMCCAN is programme of activities that has been running since September 2019 to present, with an organisational grant from Arts Council England.

EMCCAN has been able to re-examine its direction, governance and business models, with support from consultants Keith Jeffrey and Marcus Cato. This has enabled a series of staff and board training, Go and See visits and task force meetings. In the light of the pandemic it is necessary to revisit business models and re-model the organisations in order to be sustainable to support carnivals in the East Midlands in the future.

Training / Go and See Staff and board members have been fortunate to learn from organisations around the UK including Royal Opera House and EMMEAS UK homeless charity to look at their business model.

Contributions to the Greener Carnival Conference organised by Carnival Network South and other networking events have all informed the thinking behind the re-shaping of EMCCAN. One final visit to

ISACS (Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network) to learn from their Artist network in Ireland, which was postponed during the lockdown. This will inform how we can support carnival arts talent development.

Board Task force meetings took place at Derby QUAD and Derby West Indian Community Centre, re-visioning the organisation and looking at income revenue streams to support the ongoing infrastructure for the carnival sector.

ZOOM meetings and presentations have taken place when it has not been possible to meet in person. This has proven successful and had a really good turnout, despite all our fears of technology.

Consultants have been sharing their powerpoint presentations on screen and we have been able to continue with the business and development of the re-modelling programme in a virtual world.

See the short film on the EMCCAN Youtube channel.

EMCCAN BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EMCCAN

George Mighty MBE - Chairman to Nov’ 19 / Derby Caribbean Carnival Dennis Christopher – Chairman (Nov’ 19 to present) / Leicester Caribbean Carnival Nezrine Hudson – Treasurer / Derby Caribbean Carnival Morcea Walker – Northampton Carnival Myrle Roach – Northampton Carnival Richard Renwick – Nottingham Carnival Jeremy Prince – Nottingham Carnival Ansel Wong – Independent Board Director Samantha Hudson – Derby Caribbean Carnival Nathifa Jordan – Independent Board Director Hopeton Walker – Independent Board Member Peter Walker – Independent Board Director to Apr’ 20

Donna Fox – Chief Executive Mark Evans – Tour Manager Maddie Johnson – Project Manager Tour Manager - Cricket World Cup Rosa Straw – Project Manager - Carnival In Education Donna Briscoe-Greene – Carnival In Education Programme analyst Charis Betts – Artist in Residence Jess Kemp – Artist In Residence Shaie Hayden – Project Co-ordinator - Carnival In Education - Marketing Doreen Briscoe-Thompson – Finance administrator Volunteer Leah Frederick – Volunteer Marketing / brochure editing Kath Parkinson - Minute Taker

DERBY

LEICESTER

DWICA - Derby Caribbean Carnival Planning Group – (DCCPG) members

Dennis “Sugar” Christopher – Chair & Event Manager Lemuel “Andy” Lucas – Director & Treasurer Elaine Walker – Director & Company Secretary Juliette Brade – Co-ordinator & Artistic Director Helen Overton – Operations Manager & Health & Safety Cheryl Armatrading - Operations Myrle Roach – Parade Coordinator & Judges Liaison Sue Billson – Logistics & Parade Carlene Gosling – Logistics & Parade Jusmine Mcleod – Logistics & Vendor registrations Ixchel Brade – Logistics & Vendor Registrations Brenda Farara – Main Stage Manager Richard Smith - Master of Ceremonies Ellie Hill – Volunteer Shahan Agribas – Volunteer Sophie Brody – Cash Office Representative

Berimma Sankofa Chair - Derby Caribbean Carnival Planning Group (DCCPG) Logistics Team Leader George Mighty MBE - DWICA Chairperson / EMCCAN Chair Media & Fundraising Angella Mighty MBE - DWICA Secretary Stage / Procession Management Co-ordinator Mable Slater - DWICA Treasurer, Troupe Co-ordinator Nezrine Hudson MBE - DWICA Activities Co-ordinator Costume Design & Construction Lloyd Newby MBE - DWICA Vice–Chairman Logistic Team (stalls deployment) Maureen Mosley - DWICA board member Float Decoration Delores Howell - Stage / Procession Management Co-ordinator Egerton Perry - Logistics Deputy Team leader Transport Chris Walker & Mick Henry - Head Marshalls Tamara Rashford - Promotion & Marketing Carnival Costume Competition Show Co-ordinator/ Stage Manager Davinia Seville & Omari Howell - Procession and Stage Management Team

NOTTINGHAM

NORTHAMPTON

Lead Volunteers:

Morcea Walker, MBE DL – Chair and Event Manager Myrle Roach – Administration, Publicity & Parade Coordinator Janet Gordon – Artist Liaison and Stage Coordinator Mark Dean – Stage Operations Jessica James – Finance Assistant and Assistant Parade Co-ordinator Timothy-John Walker – Volunteer Event Coordinator Ian Bates – Volunteer Event Coordinator Leonie-Jane Walker – Volunteer Event Coordination Assistant Melissa Azore-Edwards – Volunteer Event Coordination Assistant Lindsey Ambrose – Volunteer Event Coordination Assistant Weekes Baptiste – Volunteer Event Assistant Millie Madzadzavara – Youth Volunteer Event and Social Media Assistant Naia Elliott-Spence – Youth Volunteer Event Assistant Ben Burdett – Youth Volunteer Event Assistant

Richard Renwick MBE – Chair and Artistic Lead Jeremy Prince – Deputy Chair, Site Co-ordinator, Traffic and Music Lead Geoffrey Mackenzie – Site Supervisor Davinia Stewart – Stalls Co-ordinator Maddie Johnson – Troupes Liaison Tracey Morton – Finance Officer Cheral Scott – Gate Stewards Co-ordinator Barrington Billings – Parade Stewards Co-ordinator Delores Price – Hospitality Co-ordinator Leslie Robinson – Parade Support Natasha Bryan – Lost Children Employed Professional Management Team: Patrick Loy – Event Manager Rob McCutcheon – Health & Safety Colin Dawson – Event Medical Co-ordinator SHOWSEC – Security Nigel Christy – Noise Management

Contact details: Chief Executive Donna Fox emccan.donna@aol.com www.emccan.org Facebook page: emccan

2020 VIRTUAL CARNIVAL SEASON 29th May Competition Launch 12th Jun CAN Carnival Artists Network 13th Jun Northampton Carnival Online Celebration 22nd Jun National Windrush Day 19th Jul Derby Caribbean Carnival Online celebration 25th Jul East Midlands Virtual Carnival Day 1st–7th Aug Leicester Caribbean Carnival Online Celebration 23rd Aug Nottingham Carnival Online Celebration COVID-19 STATEMENT: East Midlands Caribbean Carnival season 2020 has been affected by the terrible pandemic - Coronavirus.

Please keep an eye on your local social media for up to date details about carnival plans in your area or Facebook page “emccan” for the most up to date information.

Information correct at time of going to print.

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