WBUR
Boston, Massachusetts, USA - Boston’s Caribbean Carnival parades are just around the corner, and one would expect that the bandleaders of such beautifully costumed mas — or masquerade — bands Soca & Associates and Misfit, or the symphonic steel sound of Branches Steel Orchestra, would be at their mas camps busily making final preparations for both the afternoon Carnival and early morning J'Ouvert parades down Blue Hill Avenue on Aug. 27.
...Branches is missing its first ever Carnival since the event started 49 years ago. At the heart of many of the absences is the long-running strife between bandleaders and the Caribbean American Carnival Association of Boston (CACAB), which presents Boston Carnival, billed as the largest BIPOC celebration in Massachusetts. The conflict comes down to the leadership of CACAB’s president, Shirley Shillingford.
....Carl Smith, who leads Branches and has been part of the steel band since 1978, says his organization supports the boycott. Smith is a former CACAB vice president and was on the board until last year, when he and Shillingford exchanged harshly worded letters, each accusing the other of misconduct during meetings.
“If she goes, we’ll be back at Carnival. If she stays, we won’t be,” says Smith. Branches is a Boston institution that has taught generations of youth the steel pan tradition. Smith says the group is staying busy with appearances at venues like Faneuil Hall and its annual picnic on Sept. 18. Of Shillingford, Smith says “she thinks the Carnival belongs to her, but it doesn’t. It belongs to the community.”
see more
Replies