Part of the conversation around the Carnival 2023 celebrations was the “death” of traditional mas. One institution which is combatting this phenomenon is the Caribbean Yard Campus, which is again offering its ground-breaking, one-year course in Carnival mas design, construction, and performance, titled Earth to Sky 2023.
The course is accredited under Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), the Caribbean Examinations Council's (CXC) competency based approach to training, assessment and certification. Candidates are expected to demonstrate competence in attaining occupational standards developed by practitioners, industry experts and employers.
[caption id="attachment_1004709" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The Caribbean Yard Campus' Carnival mas design programme, Earth to Sky, requires students to demonstrate their skills in constructing costumes. Here Sariyah Mohammed, left, Angelle Mulchansingh, Nishard Mohammed and George-Ann Trim, show off costumes which they made for Carnival 2023.-[/caption]
The Caribbean Yard Campus (CYC) is an educational enterprise that is designed to network traditional knowledge systems in the Caribbean. CYC's co-ordinator Rawle Gibbons said the course serves two purposes.
“I think it's important in building on the creative traditions of mas-making, especially so in the context of our Carnival consumer culture, and providing certification for persons in the business of mas-making.
“This latter is particularly important for experienced practitioners seeking formal recognition for their work abroad, as well as building their own business. In this regard, our graduates access Nedco's business accelerator programme through our memorandum of understanding with that entity.”
This is the fifth year the programme is being offered, and as with every other learning institution, changes were made to accommodate students during the covid19 pandemic. Gibbons said this allowed more students to enrol.
[caption id="attachment_1004711" align="alignnone" width="576"] Sariyah Mohammed participates in a traditional mas competition in her costume made during the Caribbean Yard Campus' Earth to Sky course.- Caribbean Yard Campus[/caption]
“For the three cycles before covid19, our numbers remained in single digits. Shifting online for the past two years, however, allowed us to average 16 participants, not only from Trinidad and Tobago, but St Vincent, Barbados, the UK and US. As we go forward, we are retaining online instruction with occasional physical interaction with local practitioners, wherever located. Being online also allows us to readily record each session and share with all participants, in case of absence. The length of the course indicates the depth and transformative outcomes we expect from participants.”
The course content includes elements of design, cardboard sculpting, papier mache, organic and recycled materials, wire sculpting, history of Caribbean traditional masquerades, financial management, marketing and promotions, and legal and intellectual property issues.
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