Debi Gardner - What Carnival means to Me! by Marissa Thomas -ASBO Magazine.

Aug 26

Aug 26 Debi Gardner - What Carnival means to Me! by Marissa Thomas -ASBO Magazine.

Debi Gardner is a proud member of Mangrove steelband and has been with the band since 1999. Debi spoke to ASBO magazine about what Carnival means to her, her thoughts on the virtual Carnival and current Panorama champions Mangrove, as they look to defend their crown this Saturday.

What does Notting Hill Carnival mean to you personally and Mangrove as a collective?

Notting Hill Carnival is very much part of my identity, I am of mixed heritage so it has given me a sense of who I am and my cultural background. My dad is from Guyana, but nobody in my family is into carnival arts so it’s just me. It has very much shaped my thoughts and who I am. In relation to Mangrove, they’re my family. In terms of the steel band, we spend so much time together. Especially at this time of year, I see more of the people in the band than I do of my family.

Mangrove as a community organisation is what has given me my sense of belief, particularly as a black woman growing up in the UK, being able to challenge injustices and to have the courage and the conviction to do so has come out of my involvement with Mangrove. Being able to do so in a way that doesn’t come across as ‘angry black woman’ means that being part of Mangrove has shaped my beliefs and the way that I treat people and like to be treated.

What was your first ever experience of Notting Hill Carnival?

I wasn’t quite at my dad’s hip so I must have been really young and I know that I was on Portobello Road under the West Way and I was bored because my dad was talking to his friends. What piqued my interest and why it stuck with me is because that was the first time, I had heard a steel band.

I didn’t know what it was because my dad is into jazz and my aunt was into reggae so those were my early influences. I just heard this sound and I wanted to know what it was. It was only much later that I found out what it was because it didn’t feature in my life.

As a steel band, how important do you think steel pans are to the authentic Carnival experience and how much impact do the likes of Russell Henderson have on Mangrove?

Steel pans are fundamental to Carnival. The first street procession in Notting Hill was organised by Rhaune Laslett and she asked Russell Henderson to play at a local fayre. It was a static event but Russell being from the Caribbean, he went on a little walk and that’s what started the procession so without steel band, Russell and Rhaune, we wouldn’t have what we have now.

I’m not sure whether a lot of players in Mangrove today know of Russell Henderson but what we try and do in Mangrove is to make sure that people know the names. I had the pleasure of knowing Russell, he was an incredible man.

There’s a long list of people who have been really instrumental and influential in Carnival who are no longer with us and we attempt to instil in the young people coming up all the values that they showed us. I stand on the shoulders of giants and I have a responsibility to the people who have gone before to make sure that the people who are behind me go further than I do. I owe it to them to do it for them and hopefully as they come up, they’ll also pay it forward.

How have Mangrove kept going without Carnival on the streets for two years?

Last year was weird, not seeing people was very strange. This year, we’re practising for Panorama which is this Saturday so it’s odd to know that we’re practicing for Saturday and then there’s nothing beyond that. We’re enjoying being back together and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being in Mangrove gives me a focus and keeps me driven.

How does Carnival in the Caribbean compare to Notting Hill Carnival?

Carnival here is very similar to what you would see in the Caribbean as a whole so most parts of it, the steel bands, the sequins and the Calypsonians, that’s very much Trinidadian but you do see other influences. In the Caribbean, Carnival is specific to each island. In the UK, it embraces all of the Caribbean but also has its British influences because we all grew up in the UK. When you go there, you get R&B, grime, rock and roll, so the British influences makes it very unique to us and there’s not another one like it because this is us and it’s a reflection of us as a community and our environment.

What are your thoughts on the virtual Carnival taking place again this year?

Obviously, the virtual Carnival doesn’t replace what goes happens on the road, not by a long shot but it does allow Notting Hill Carnival to reach new audiences for people who wouldn’t otherwise get to experience Notting Hill and see the variety of things that go on, it does give them that opportunity.

As a community, we haven’t been very good at documenting and recording our history and there is a product deriving from having the online presence. It also allows so much creativity from all over the world. Anything that keeps Carnival arts in people’s mind with Carnival front and centre while encouraging people to be creative and come up with innovative ideas is a good thing.

I think that the virtual Carnival has a place and I would like to see us continue to do it because it creates this history of Carnival in the UK. I would like to see elements of it continue when we are back on the streets.

How excited are you for Carnival to (hopefully) return to the streets next year?

I am super excited! It will be nice to have a full season. We have Panorama back this year which is great and I really do miss the Carnival.