St Pauls and Its Carnival

Researched and compiled by Pax Nindi

Introduction

The story of St. Pauls Afrikan Caribbean Carnival is one of a community's success; from its small beginnings in the late sixties to the present day. The whole event now takes over the neighbourhood of St. Pauls in Bristol and involves schools, community groups and host professional performers. Until recently St Pauls has had a large Afrikan Caribbean population demonstrated by the strong community spirit shown in this annual carnival.

The involvement of a new Board and engagement of an Artistic Director after reorganisation in 2006 has improved the artistic quality, management and relations with the media, funders and sponsors. That has been instrumental in the increase in attendance to this event from the 40,000 audiences it attracted in the past to 60,000 in 2007 and over 65,000 in 2008 despite the bad weather.

St Pauls The Area

St Pauls is an inner suburb of Bristol, England, situated just north east of the city centre and west of the M32. In the early 18th century it was laid out as one of Bristol's first suburbs. Its turbulent history has been marked by rapid growth. The area was damaged during World War II followed by large immigration after the war which left the area a bit neglected, with crime and drugs becoming common in St Pauls.

St Pauls Architecture

Many of the buildings in St Pauls are Georgian with Portland Square, and St Pauls Church as particularly fine examples of Georgian architecture in the area. Both were designed by Daniel Hague although the original St Pauls Church was to be designed by James Allen in a Greek style. Work was started on the church in 1789 and completed in 1794. In 2005 the church was converted into its present form as the home of Circomedia a local circus school.

St Pauls Riots

A riot that followed a police raid on the Black and White Cafe on 2nd April 1980 formed a low point of the area's history. The St Pauls riot started when the police entered the Cafe, suspecting it was being used for drug dealing. A customer had his trousers ripped and demanded compensation, which the police refused. A crowd outside then refused to allow the police to leave, and when back up was called a riot started.

The riots were quickly blamed on race, but both white and black youths fought against the police. Many people believed that the problems were linked to poverty and perceived social injustices, predominantly by the Sus law. Now the area is experiencing a positive urban renewal through the St. Pauls Unlimited scheme and other agencies in the area.

St Pauls Carnival Today

The Carnival has run continuously since 1967, with a break in 2006 when the Board got restructured. It has grown to become nationally recognised and now attracts over 60,000 audiences each year. The carnival involves over a thousand participants including sound systems, children from the local primary schools, artists, local sports events, circus, visiting groups, parents and officials, which makes it a vibrant carnival event.

Run by a not-for-profit organisation, which oversees the planning, and delivery of this loved carnival it is a glittering pageant of costumes, cultures and floats, each reflecting powerful cultural traditions from around the world. Alongside the famous street parade there are a host of sound systems playing different styles of music, live stages featuring local and international artists, spoken word corner co-ordinated by local poets, stalls offering a taste of foods from different continents, a creative environment for families located in St. Agnes Park and pre carnival events including Mas camps where local people can gather to create their own costumes.

Reference from Wikipedia and speaking with local people.

Pax Nindi June 2008