Language as a site of resistance

Abstract or Introduction

In her essay “African Roots and Continuities: Race, Space and the
Poetics of Moving” Marlene Nourbese Philip portrays the Canadian Caribana
festival, first held in 1967 and framed by the Canadian Centennial celebrations,
and its prototype, Trinidadian Carnival. She mainly names two characters;
Maisie and Totoben. Both occur throughout the essay engaged in one thing: the
celebration of Carnival, or later then, Caribana in Toronto.
Philip writes in a “Caribbean demotic of English”, according to her own
words. 1 As she discusses the phenomena of Carnival, this demotic is more
suitable to give an accurate image of its origins. Especially the energy and the
dynamic embedded in Caribana, and earlier Carnival is transported more lively.
“Kinetic qualities” go with the language she calls a Caribbean demotic. These
display the fascination and attraction of the festival, and this first statement
might give a reason for her choice.
She has composed an essay, which also satisfies historical needs. As
she transports the knowledge of a single event’s origin and its transformation
throughout time, the question arises, why Philip did not choose Standard
English to make her argument. This might be expected rather from a political
and historical paper, than from one displaying only cultural aspects. Marlene
Nourbese Philip´s essay can be considered to be a historical essay, since she
connects several stations in ,space and time, in other words, in geography and
history. The connection is implied by her synonymous naming of the main
characters, Maisie and Totoben, who connect the slave-ships to the Carnival
parade in Toronto. 2 [...]

1Philip, Marlene Nourbese: “African Roots and Continuities: Race, Space and the Poetics of
Moving”. A Genealogy of Resistance and Other Essays. Ed. Marlene Nourbese Philip.
Toronto: The Mercury Press, 1997. 202.
2 cf. 207.