RHIANNA MCKENZIE
Soca music and Trinidad and Tobago Carnival culture have been making waves internationally, even celebrating a few firsts in 2023.
On August 29, regional talent was celebrated at the inaugural Caribbean Music Awards at King’s Theatre, Brooklyn, New York, where local legend Machel Montano was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. On September 18, the annual Japan Soca Weekend (JSW) ended its five-day lineup of events with its inaugural TT-styled parade of the bands at the Moraba Twin Circuit race track in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
With Caribbean communities all over the world, carnival and Caribbean festivals have been well-established, community-led events, drawing international attention to the region. Established in 1967, Toronto Canada’s Caribana Caribbean Festival is arguably North America’s largest Caribbean festival. London’s Notting Hill Carnival has also been a popular attraction in England, and Brooklyn’s Labour Day Parade dates all the way back to the 1930s in the US. TT's soca artistes have long travelled to other countries to make a living outside of the annual Carnival season.
So what’s the next big step in creating a cultural experience outside of the Caribbean? Carnival-hopping has been a luxurious hobby for enthusiasts for years, prompting promoters and regional tourism ministries to capitalise on their island’s particular brand of the festival. Even with TT's widely accepted as the mecca, Grenada’s Spice Mas, Jamaica’s Bacchanal Mas, Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival and other islands all bring their unique flavour to mas and have established carnival as a popular destination event.
Japan Soca Weekend (JSW) organiser Kegon Toussaint started the Soca in Japan company in 2017 after seeing the potential for it among both the Caribbean expat community and locals who had travelled to the islands and were familiar with the culture.
“I've always been a fan of Japanese culture, so when I met Japanese, including my wife, who are also fans of soca culture, it instantly came to me to create the best of both worlds. I shared my vision with my Japanese colleagues and the rest is history.”
Speaking to Sunday Newsday after the success of this year’s week of events, Toussaint broke down the evolution of the events in Japan.
“In terms of branding to the international community, everything is simply known as Soca in Japan. For the local community in Japan, they call it JSW or Soca Weekend. Additionally, there’s also the Soca in Japan tour, JSW edition which provides additional services such as sightseeing and exclusive events around the time of JSW.
[caption id="attachment_1041777" align="aligncenter" width="402"] Nailah Blackman and Mical Teja perform at Island Nations Concert during Japan Soca Weekend. -[/caption]
“Lastly, Soca in Japan introduced Japan Caribbean Carnival for the first time this year. It is an extension of Japan Soca Weekend, but an evolution of the various mas-themed parties held during JSW over the years.”
Toussaint said in years past, there were m
