Ahead of EWA Afrika 2026 on June 7th, a panel discussion at Queen’s Hall on Monday explored the evolution of Carnival and its significance as a space for freedom, identity, and cultural expression.
Moderated by Designer and Creative Director Richard Young, the conversation brought together cultural voices who reflected on how Carnival continues to shift, raising questions about authenticity, personal choice, and the balance between tradition and modern influences.
“Carnival has to be the interplay between the spectator and the performer of the mas. I must look into your eye and see you enjoying me and you looking at me, seeing me seeing you enjoying me, and that little intangible wonderfulness? It gone.”
The discussion explored freedom, identity, and the changing meaning of Carnival culture.
Freedom was described as the privilege of choice, the acknowledgement of grief, and the ability to understand who you are, who you can become, and who you want to be.
Chairperson of the 02N Foundation, Nicole Dyer-Griffith, said freedom can be compared to oxygen, which is essential, however vulnerable to pollution.
“So you have that paradigm between needing oxygen, but having to find a balance to keep that oxygen as pure as you possibly can. And I think that also ties into choice, in terms of how do you make choices that impact your freedom and when you make these choices, what is the price you have to pay for making some of these choices?”
Executive Director of the Emancipation Support Committee, Zakiya Uzoma Wadada, warned against Carnival losing its deeper purpose as a space for social commentary and cultural expression.
“If the Carnival stops being that, a freedom of people to express themselves, like they did it in the Calypso, they did it in the mas, what was happening in their society around here and so on, and it just becomes the freedom of the flesh so that we could do anything we want Carnival and then go get some ashes on Wednesday and become good again. That is what it has been transformed into, and we have to ask ourselves, is that what we want.”
Emphasising that both individuals and communities have a role to play in addressing these challenges, Cultural Studies scholar Dr. Suzanne Burke said meaningful change can happen through collective action.
“There’s something collectively that we could do, once we recognise, once we apprehend the scale of the problem. There’s something that we can do individually, inside and outside of Carnival, but there’s also something that we can do collectively, in terms of policy, and programming and incentivising certain behaviours.”
Ultimately, the discussion framed freedom as a balance between personal choice, identity, and societal constraints, while also connecting Carnival, sustainability, and cultural tradition with the need for innovation and environmental responsibility.