International Journal of Art and Art History June 2015, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 63-82 ISSN: 2374-2321 (Print), 2374-233X (Online) Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development DOI: 10.15640/ijaah.v3n1p3 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.15640/ijaah.v3n1p3 The Spirituality of Carnival: Using Yoruba Cosmology to Read the Dragon Can’t Dance Dr. Kela Nnarka Francis 1 For anyone who has experienced Trinidad and Tobago carnival, whether festooned in beads and feathers, baptized in mud, oil, or paint; or simply feting on the sidelines, the claim that this festival is more than a spectacle, display, or escape is easily understandable. There is indeed power in this mass congregation of revelry— both political and spiritual. In literary criticism, in academia at large, the focus is usually on the political power of carnival, its effect on class struggles and racist hegemonic paradigms. However, while the political power of carnival is important to note, equally important (but not as frequently explored) is the spiritual power of carnival. E ven when attention is focused on the spiritual nature of carnival it is usually skewed through a Judeo-Christian binary of pious versus profane, Christian behavior versus devilry. This is partly due to the reigning epistemology of many tertiary institutions, an occidental proclivity for creating categories with rigid boundaries. Yet it is possible to investigate carnival spirituality from a different perspective, especially when one considers the presence and participation of Africans in the evolution of carnival and carnival arts. Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool discusses the African ancestry of Trinidad carnival, stating that: Mas making and masquerading are traditions found all over Africa as interlocking aspects of most celebrations. Masking suggests spirit-associated transformations whereby the wearers cancel or obliterate their personalities by changing into other human characters and supernatural spirits so they are no longer themselves. (33) 1 Independent Scholar, Trinidad and Tobago