Member-only story
Tabanca Carnival
Depression Hits New Low on Last Day of Canceled Festivities
The Greatest Show on Earth, Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is supposed to be happening now! The Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Ordinarily, thousands of Caribbean people would travel from all corners of the globe to feel their love of life unfold.
The annual event was canceled back in September 2019 and globally Caribbean people have been reeling in despair.
With the almost two and a half million deaths Covid-19 has claimed globally, Carnival was postponed as a result of the pandemic which continues to take and mash-up life everywhere.
I have been listening to soca music non-stop, looking at old pictures and videos and crying like ‘smaddy mi love lef mi’.
This emotional low is called Tabanca. It’s an extreme sadness following one's break up or separation from a significant other or thing. In this case, my heart is aching because of my love of live soca music and my inability to participate in exuberant celebrations rooted in African revelry and spirituality.
Thousands of carnival-goers experience Tabanca usually after the event and this is also referred…
