Communicator and marketing expert Carole Beckford is encouraging revellers to bask in the evolution of Carnival celebrations from what it was once to what it has become.

“Carnival, for me, is a celebration. I probably would choose not to make any attachments [to slavery]. There could be something, because there was always a way to party when you lived on the plantation or so on. What they might have called it, I’m not sure. It was indigenous to the people of the region at the particular place,” said Beckford.

According to a study done by Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States, the word Carnival has roots in the pre-Emancipation ritual of Cannes Brulees [sugar cane burning] that occurred on the massive sugar plantations that enslaved thousands of Africans in the 17th through 19th centuries.

Beckford advised that there has been somewhat of a coming of age with Carnival.

“In modern times, Carnival has evolved into music, frolic, fun, a little bit of booze, and excitement. The cultural expression, in terms of the costuming and so, has has evolved and has done really well. What has happened now across the region [is] more people representing themselves through their costumes and colour. And I think this year, in particular, we probably have had the widest diversity of bands in Jamaica,” she said.

Today, carnival has become a regional and diasporic phenomenon, with annual celebrations which started in Jamaica as early as the late 1980s.

One of the key aspects of the celebrations is soca music which began in Trinidad and Tobago. Jamaicans have also embraced the genre, which Beckford has found commendable.

“Carnival should be something that we use in the region to celebrate. If you wanna participate, you can do so freely like anything else. I support the efforts with anything in regards to entertainment.

“Because of our Caribbean relationships I think going all the way back to calypso, because I think in the early days those guys came here a lot, and even the new soca artistes they continue to come. I think it’s more seasonal, and as our Carnival product gets bigger and more diverse, I think we’re seeing more of an integration in that way,” she told the Jamaica Observer’s Splash.

Come Sunday, Xodus, Bacchanal Jamaica, Yardmas, and GenXs Carnival will be hitting the streets for the grand road march.

Meanwhile, popular disc jockey and emcee Brush1 The Road Marshal believes Jamaican genres, as well as soca music have their respective places at Carnival. He, however, believes more local artistes should produce soca songs.

“I would love to see more Jamaican soca music or a version of soca that is for Jamaicans. That would be the ideal thing, but Jamaica Carnival is Jamaica Carnival. I don’t think you can go to any Carnival in the world and not hear the local music of wherever the Carnival is being held. It’s just that Jamaica doesn’t really have soca artistes. What we have is dancehall, so that is what we present,” he told Splash.

Brush1 further said that, besides the high tempo of soca, the lyrics of many of the songs are valuable.

“When I was first introduced to soca music, I thought it was just jump and wave, but there’s message in the music. Just like how dancehall has topics and cadence and moods, soca also has that. You have soca that talks about friendship, soca that talks about the girls, soca weh talk ’bout bad mind, soca weh talk bout drinking…there are many different topics. For me, I understand now and I can fully appreciate it,” he further said.

The Road Marshal also said that the appreciation for the eastern Caribbean genre is one that has to come naturally.

“My thing is, I don’t think anyone should ever be forced into soca. I think it is something that Jamaicans, especially, should discover. It’s kind of a self discovering journey. You hear soca but you don’t really fully understand it off the bat because it’s not our culture. We adopted soca like [how] someone adopts a child. So, to find out if you even want to be in that space, you have to get there on your own,” he said.