Celebrating Life in a Time of Crisis
During Carnival, the world is turned upside down: men dress like women, boys dance like sailors, girls fight like warriors, kings careen like clowns, and common folk reign as Kings and Queens — or breathe fire like dragons. In the Americas, carnival draws from the traditions of Europe, Africa, and the indigenous people brought together by the violence of colonization, genocide, and the slave trade. Carnival remembers violence in ritual battles of life and death. Carnival celebrates life in brazen spectacle.
Siren Song: A Battle between $$ and Culture