SUMMER DISPATCHES: 2014 NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL

– Yes the rain, but it did not dampen the spirit of revelers!

‘Summer, summer, summertime
Time to sit back and unwind
Summer, summer, summertime
Time to sit back and unwind’

So goes the refrain in Will Smith’s hit song, Summertime. Indeed summer is a time ‘you can't speed through two miles an hour’; that is if you are on holidays. You are not in any particular hurry, and schedules can be put off or cancelled.

This perhaps, explains why I could not bring this and subsequent dispatches on a real time basis. Summer is gone, practically, and schools except for the Ebola ‘insurgency’ should have started in earnest; but bear with me….

Sitting on Bus 2X specially arranged as a direct shuttle to Notting Hill Station Gate from my part of the city, I was convinced it was not a mistake to venture out on this very rainy day; more so I had persuaded some members of my family to go along with me. The weatherman accurately predicted the second and final day of 2014 Notting Hill Carnival, also a bank holiday, was going to be showery. 

The Notting Hill carnival has become a major item on the cultural calendar, not just for the United Kingdom, but across the world. People look forward to that date annually and visitors come from other cities and countries particularly as it is in the middle of summer; though global warming changed the weather pattern on this year’s occasion. Over one million people were expected at the event. 

With my background in theatre and dramatic arts, I not only wanted to take in the sights and sounds of the carnival, I also needed to see it from an organizational point of view. What are the ingredients of pulling off such a world class event; are there lessons to be learnt and applied even in other locations and purposes? What and who were the precursors: I had many questions going on in my mind.

From its humble beginnings in 1964, the Notting Hill carnival has evolved to become Europe’s biggest street festival. A vivid spectacle, it represents London’s multicultural past and present where the Caribbean communities celebrate their culture and traditions. The two-day event showcases fantastic live music ranging from reggae, dub, salsa, soca floats, steel bands, uplifting beats, jerk chicken and fried plantain, food stalls, colorful costumes and much more. The first day tagged children’s day, has more family friendly costumes and parade, whilst the second and concluding adult day features more daring costumes and performances.  

Putting up such an event, of course tasks the police, fire service and paramedics, not leaving the creative efforts that performers come up with to ensure fun and variety. At the end of the first day of the carnival, police had reportedly made 95 arrests, including five for possession of offensive weapons, 35 drugs arrests and 10 for common assault. As one of the largest operations in the Metropolitan Police force's calendar, Chief Superintendent Robyn Williams said the force's priority was to 'facilitate a safe and vibrant carnival'.

She said: 'Carnival very much presents us with two extremes; those who want to enjoy the sound systems, cuisine and have a good time and those who use it as an opportunity to commit crime.' However she warned visitors to be alert and take steps to reduce their vulnerability to low level crime by not wearing valuable jewellery or holding mobile phones on show and considering how much they drink. Asked about the planning which goes into the police operation, she said: 'Let me put it this way, on Tuesday morning we'll begin planning Notting Hill Carnival 2015.'

Rain Drops!

The event was originally introduced to improve race relations in the Nothing Hill area. Organizers said this year marked the first milestone in the build-up to the event's 50th anniversary in 2016. The carnival has become increasingly popular in recent years and now contributes an estimated £93million to the local economy.

Well apart from my bag of questions, I was there to have fun with my family. And yes we did contribute to that economy as we could not do without some Filipino rice and steak, washed down with the ubiquitous coke; before heading home.

Last Line:  Wherever you are, it is possible to live in peace and dominion.  Deuteronomy 30:16 ‘For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess’ NIV.

Do you love God? To find out more about God and how you can have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, visit any Bible believing church near you, or: CHAPEL OF DESTINY RESTORATION CHURCH, 2 Akinlabi Lane, off Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, by Round About Bus Stop, Ikeja. Lagos.