[Leica] IMG: Cape Town Carnival

[profmason at yahoo.com (John Mason)]

I spent most of the last three months in Cape Town. 
It was the carnival season, and my longest stay in
South Africa since I lived there in '89 and '90.

Taking advantage of the circumstances, I accepted my
friend Zane Ibrahim's invitation to join the
Pennsylvania Crooning Minstrels, one of several dozen
minstrel troupes that are the heart and soul of the
carnival.

Carnival is deeply rooted in Cape Town's working class
communities.  Minstrel troupes have been around for
over 100 years--the Pennsylvanians date back to the
'30s--and the tradition of marching through the city
around Christmas and the New Year goes back to the
days of slavery in the early 19th century.

The most spectacular part of the carnival is die
Tweede Nuwe Jaar--the Second New Year, January
2nd--when the troupes march through the center of the
city, effectively taking it over.

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/03FlagAndCoke.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/yuxef8>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/01ClownUpClose.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/2e7dn9>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/04BandAndCoke.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/2437nt>

For each troupe, a day of marching or competing begins
at the klopskamer--the clubhouse--where members
assemble to march through the neighborhood, before
boarding buses that will take them downtown:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/06Clown.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/2gorvx>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/09OrangeHouse.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/2yv3n8>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/11ManUmbrellaBus.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/yqe8wj>

An important part of the carnival are the competitions
in various local stadiums, where the troupes bands,
choirs, and marching are judged:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/17FlagsAthloneStadium.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/3cf7eh>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/18DancingBoyGreenPoint.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/2otrg2>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/19TarikInGreenPoint.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/2jun9h>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/20BandInStadium.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/35ysal>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/21ChoirSingsGreenPoint.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/3yoeh9>

None of this comes easily.  Rehearsals start in
October and continue until the end of the competitions
in late February:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/22CoachAndSingers.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/24vjby>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/24Singers02.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/27gfk8>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/25BariSaxRehearsal.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/yr5w7s>

For the members, participation in the troupes (which
is very often passed down from father to son and
mother to daughter) is a mixture of fun and
tomfoolery...

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/14aDancingGirls.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/ytv57r>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/10RedFace.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/2y4ou7>

...and great seriousness:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/16TamborineInSunset.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/yqg5wk>

By happy coincidence, we are this year's
championship-winning troupe:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/27ChampionOfChampions.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/2534pt>

And, when I say "we," I mean it:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/28EkIsNKlops.jpg.html>

<http://tinyurl.com/2hyylq>

See more here:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/CapeMinstrels/>

--John

John Mason
Charlottesville, Virginia

DEMOCRACY OF SPEED, a Photo Documentary Project:
http://www.virginia.edu/history/DocSpeed/

Additional Documentary Projects, here:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Mason/


 
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