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While some were basking in the glow of that special person on Valentine’s Day, a group of Trinidad’s carnival bands treated lovers of jumping Mas to a special production called LAVWAY: Our Story on Sunday night.

LAVWAY is a film production created to express and highlight the best of Trinidad’s carnival. The production was hosted by the Lost Tribe and presented by the Tribe’s family of bands, featuring costumes from other bands as well.

The production was prerecorded and edited before airing at 7:30 p.m. on website lavwayourstory.com and on Facebook and YouTube @tribecarnival. By Tuesday monring, it had already garnered almost 40,000 views on YouTube.

In curating LAVWAY to suit the viewing and entertainment needs
of the public, the team analysed the typical content on its local channel before creating a show aimed at giving the people what they want, especially at what would normally be the height of Trinidad’s carnival season, which has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The idea behind the production was to ensure that the feeling of carnival would continue to resonate with the people despite the lack of traditional events due to the pandemic.

Valmiki Maharaj, executive creator of LAVWAY, said the production was created with the intention of not only stimulating sentimental feelings but to show Trinidad’s carnival culture in a different light- one that would explore “a dream of a dream”.

Maharaj conceptualised the idea of this fantasy film – from the story line to the visuals, to the costumes, as well as the overall design of the production.

Of course, Maharaj didn’t complete the project on his own. He had a team that helped with its design, costumes, production and more.

With a large team assisting him, the planning was intense, with the production revealing scenes filmed in a large, open space and giving off an
enchanting vibe.

The film is mystical.

According to Maharaj, the film takes its viewers on a mystical journey and is meant to leave them desiring and wanting more of carnival.

However, Maharaj knows and understands there is no virtual substitute for jumping and dancing with friends, which won’t happen this year due to physical carnival events being cancelled in Trinidad.

“[LAVWAY] is a springboard or pivot really, a move in another direction. Trinidad’s carnival cannot be replaced. It is so unique and embedded in our history and culture that it is a part of the people,” Maharaj told Our Today.

“It is a Trinidad and Tobago product highlighting carnival for all people.”

He said most of the costumes from the film are new designs done by
himself and the Lost Tribe team.

“The production team came together in a short space of time to ensure the
costume designs. It’s funny because, during carnival, there’s a time limit for the designing of costumes, however, for this production we threw time out through the door.”

Maharaj said that, while time matters, he wanted better than average pieces, pieces that can be envisioned in a gala one day.

“Plain and simple- the inspiration behind the costumes is the carnival itself and the people.”

He said many of the costumes in the production were inspired by things that can be physically seen in the Savannah, including flowers from trees that fall to the ground being interpreted through dancers with petals falling all around them.

There are also designs inspired by traditional carnival characters and the
voices of carnival.

“We pay tribute to them by designing based on their history, their characteristics and what those characters have become over the years to the Lost Tribe team.”