Education Minister Anthony Garcia says yesterday’s Republic Bank Junior Parade of Bands showed how mas could be enjoyed without people being “scantily clad.”
He said he enjoyed what he saw at the Queen’s Park Savannah when bands, from mini to large, totalling 112, crossed the stage.
The event was scheduled to start at 7 am and end at 3 pm but got off to a late start around 8 am downtown.
The national anthem was played at 9.45 am at the Savannah and then it was a burst of colour and costumes with hundreds of junior masqueraders prancing and jumping to Machel Montano’s Stage, which was the dominant song for the day.
Garcia paid tribute to the children who he said showed resilience, creativity, and a desire to keep the culture alive.
He said, “Mas could be enjoyed without being scantily clad and if we are to follow what our children have taught us today, perhaps, in the not too distant future, we can see masqueraders being fully clothed and not being exposed to the extent to where it is sometimes degrading.”
He said yesterday’s parade was a lesson on how to play mas by being “very decent.”
He also praised the children with disabilities from the Princess Elizabeth Home who came out and enjoyed themselves.