Inheritance.

It was a wonderful Carnival season.

I was blessed to be part of Leeds West Indian Carnival this year in a different way, in a different capacity.
After three consecutive years of winning Best Youth Troupe, Best on Road and the inaugural Arthur France Best Troupe Award, RJC Dance decided to take a fallow year — to rest, reflect and allow others the space to feel some of the joy and triumph we had experienced.

So this year, I volunteered.
And from my volunteering post I saw Carnival differently.
I saw RJC members Playing Mas in other troupes, dispersed like the soldiers we are. I knew them by face, body and smile. When we spotted each other, there was full joy.

Some of us have to Play Mas. We know the importance of giving thanks for our lives and our ancestors.
We know what Carnival is and where it comes from.
Carnival is part of our inheritance.

A Black-led Caribbean triumph.
A celebration of our existence, created and carried by people who made new homes here and brought something precious with them.

And we invite others in — and not just from out of town!

The people came and we enjoyed the music. We ate the food. We danced together. We cherished the day.
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We, as Caribbean people, centre ourselves on this day, recognise what we have inherited, give thanks to those who carried it here and make sure our children know what is theirs to carry forward.

With the smallest of gestures, we remember to give thanks for our mighty past.

A few days into the warm-up to Carnival, I was friendly with Wray and his Nephew! Now that I am fully grown and can handle them, we can tek we time and have fun. (Tek weh you self if you too mash up — no one needs to see that!)

Every time I open a bottle of rum, I make sure my ancestors receive theirs first before I receive mine.
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There are so many layers to Carnival.

One of the reasons I love Leeds West Indian Carnival so much is because it happens where we live. These are the streets where we wake up, get up, walk out of our friends’ and families’ doors and run round our neighbourhood.
It matters that our children know who they are and where they be.

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My volunteering role meant working alongside the organising and volunteer team, looking after the Carnival Bands as they made their way around the route. It gave me the privilege of seeing the extraordinary differences between them: big troupes and small ones; dancers, paper and feathers; people who had clearly rehearsed every step and people simply having the time of their lives.
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Of the Bands I was assigned to, one troupe was small but mighty and came from Huddersfield — the place where we raised our boys, my old hometown. There were people in wheelchairs raising money for charity, little ones dancing until they were tired, and all of them in pretty, pretty costumes.

I encouraged the crowd to cheer for every single troupe member. Whether there are 145 people in a band or five, celebrate them. Celebrate the time, work and love it takes simply to turn up and Play Mas.

Whenever I felt tired, I looked across and saw a little one, no more than five, still stomping away in their little shoes, enjoying the crowd and enjoying their moment.

What a wonderful sight.

I had the privilege of watching over 800 Masqueraders come through those Potternewton Park gates and onto the road. Some looked nervous. Some were ready. Every single one deserved to be cheered.

I couldn’t help myself.
I turned into the Carnival Crew Cheerleader.
I hyped up the waiting crowd, encouraged the troupes around the corner and sent them onto the road with whatever blessing came into my head:

Enjoy yourself! Have a great time! Well done! Unuh look good! Keep going!
Bless up yourself and your ancestors!!!
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Because for me, that is Carnival too.
We hype each other up.
We make the effort.
We turn up.
We step out.
We do the ting.
And we pass it on.
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PS… Jamaican Flag 🇯🇲
This week I officially became a Jamaican Citizen. 🙌🏾🇯🇲
It took a while to go through the process, as Jamaican bureaucracy is meticulous and there was a battle over the correct spelling of my parents names that I had to win. We won that battle, and I was finally able to claim my rightful heritage by descent.

I give thanks as we move.

And if anybody found a Jamaican flag on the road, it’s mine! 🤣🇯🇲

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Congratulations to all the Troupes on the Road for Leeds West Indian Carnival 2026