On August Bank Holiday Monday an estimated 100,000 people from all over Yorkshire thronged the traffic-free streets of the Chapeltown area of Leeds to celebrate what is now an authentic and special part of Yorkshire culture – the annual Leeds West Indian Carnival.
Leeds may not be England’s largest carnival, a title claimed by London’s Notting Hill, but it is Britain’s and Europe’s oldest, dating back to 1967. It was actually three Leeds students – Frankie Davies, originally from Trinidad, Tony Lewis from Jamaica and Arthur France from St Kitts-Nevis, who in 1966/7 came up with the idea of a Leeds Carnival. Arthur is now Arthur France MBE, and the revered chairperson of the Leeds West Indian Carnival.
The concept these three young men had was to recapture and celebrate the rich history, culture and heritage of their Caribbean birthplace and share it with the many West Indian communities now living in Leeds and West Yorkshire. This would keep that precious sense of identity alive not only to what we now know as the Windrush generation, but for their successors and descendants in years to come.
The origins of carnival and the Yorkshire connection
Carnival has a long history in West Indian culture. Its origins lie as far back as 1834 with the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, when former slaves took to the streets to proclaim their freedom. It was quite literally about reclaiming those streets: a form of peaceful but powerful protest.
One fascinating parallel with Yorkshire is that Yorkshire Day, 1 August, was selected not only as the anniversary of the Battle of Minden of 1759, but itwas also the anniversary of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 which came into force on that day in 1834, the lifetime achievement of a great Yorkshireman, William Wilberforce of Hull. Sadly, exploitation, intolerance and ignorant racial bigotry didn’t end with the passing of that act.
As the three Leeds visionaries foresaw, ending hatred and prejudice is best achieved not by preaching or putting up barriers, but by inviting host communities to share, take part and ultimately take on board the rich culture that immigrant communities like theirs had to offer. This, in a profound way, is the real story of Yorkshire, that of our Anglian and Viking forefathers, the successive waves of Normans, Huguenots, Irish, Italians, Jews, Poles, South Asians and Caribbeans who made Yorkshire their home and who have so enriched our lives.
Race riots form a shameful backdrop in 2024
Ironically the 2024 Leeds Carnival took place only a few weeks after the shameful riots in so many British cities and towns, including the burning of a bus in nearby Harehills. Many of these appalling events were deliberately inflamed and exploited by far-right politicians and populists, gutter press journalists and so-called social media influencers for their own gain, using racist tropes to blame people of different skin hues and faiths as an excuse for economic deprivation, and the exploitation of communities by multinational corporations.
So there could not be a better answer to such hatred than what took place in Leeds on Bank Holiday Monday. The carnival route, a circuit of some two miles from Potternewton Park. which hosted major celebrations and stalls, ran through Spencer Place, Barrack Road and Chapeltown Road. Slogans on several of the floats indicated that this event was all about peace and hope, but there was also some low-key protest, for example about the Windrush Scandal victims not yet being fully compensated.
Yet this was a far subtler answer to the hatred and bigotry that has shamed us all in Yorkshire and elsewhere. Yes, because of recent events, there was a strong police presence, but it was friendly and welcoming, with uniformed officers on duty sharing in the pleasure and the fun.
A true community event
Watching the procession were thousands of spectators, people of every conceivable shade, but naturally with a very substantial black and brown presence. To use an old-fashioned phrase, now curiously back in fashion, spectators were predominantly from a working-class background, enjoying a culture they could relate to. There were large numbers of families, lots of pushchairs, youngsters wearing streamers and blowing whistles, and all generally having a great time as the procession approached.
A series of floats with amplified music of different Caribbean styles and beats – all of which have rich and complex African, Asian, South American and European origins – mambo, calypso, salsa, rumba and much more, was followed by brilliantly costumed dancers. Each group had their own sometimes highly complex and athletic routines and choreography. Dancers included people of every shade, shape and size, sharing a huge sense of fun and togetherness. There was real ethnic diversity.
The costumes were breathtaking, stunningly vivid and beautiful creations, some of them clearly requiring hours of work. Fashioned out of simple materials, they showed the energy and creativity of ordinary people (some on low incomes, many perhaps part of the low-paid gig economy, unemployed, or surviving on modest pensions) in designing, cutting, stitching, and pasting to make colourful costumes and outfits. The Leeds Carnival is no big-budget event.
Equally striking was the relative youth of the participants from children barely out of their nurseries, through to primary school age, a significant percentage of teenagers, including many in their mid and late teens, all the way up to their early 20s. Not to mention the many older people also taking part.
Celebrating the diversity of Yorkshire
Carnival is the true Yorkshire, not the dreadful scenes in so many of our towns and cities magnified out of proportion by the media. This is who we really are – friendly, welcoming, absorbing what our new communities have to offer. Though there were a lot of Caribbean, especially Jamaican, accents to be heard among the older participants and spectators, what is interesting is how their children and grandchildren now have a very recognisable Leeds accent, as they become absorbed into the wider community and culture.
This major Yorkshire celebration of our diversity also illustrates how people from the West Indies have also brought their own wonderful, enriching heritage to our culture with Caribbean food, music, vibrant colour, vitality and energy. To understand this cultural crossover, look no further than the nationally acclaimed and innovative Phoenix Dance Theatre, originating and based in Leeds, not far from the carnival route.
What better antidote to the hate-peddlers, and the self-serving populist media barons, than the Leeds Carnival? Something truly made in Yorkshire.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO OUR CROWDFUNDER
HELP US BECOME STRONGER SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER POWERFUL CITIZEN JOURNALISM!
