The Functions Of
BlueDevil.
The Blue Devil does not only
torment spectators this is
just one of the functions.
Other functions are: ‘sensuality’ which is seen in the
placing of the paint on each
other skin as in the preparation of the Blue Devil as the
biscuit thin is stroked, White
Oak puncheon poured on
the ground and lit aflame
as a way to respect and ask
permission from the ancestors for this playing. ‘Sensuality’ is also shown in the way
we whine to the music. The
‘grotesque’ or nasty function
in which we see the player
doing all kind of disgusting
activities using aloes and colouring to get their mouths
running and having an avid
red color that makes spectators run. ‘Bravadage’ is the
bold, confident and exaggerated in which he plays and
performs the Mas as big as
it can be played with no limitations. It is the aspect of us
that secretly wants to be seen
or validated. His ‘humorous’
qualities makes spectators
laugh, this one time a bird
was placed and was painted blue carried around and
made to dance as the devils
whine with the bird. ‘Mischief’ is the function that
teases and provokes, venturing outside of given boundaries by society. Everyone’s
process in playing Blue devil
is different when we light the
puncheon that is thrown on
the ground we drink some
and as we start painting and
dancing the Blue Devil character or rather energy
manifests. The paint there- and seeing my father this
fore becomes the Mask for strapid, deep voiced, stubthe player of the Mas.
born man without a cussing
giving away his beer really
intrigued me. I saw another
It all started one
side to my father, the vulnercarnival friday
able side he looked at himWhen I play Blue Devil it is a self through the blue devil,
very high energy, almost ca- or rather the side of him that
thartic holistic experience. has been suppressed, smiled
The spectators become ex- and supported its honesty. ‘
tensions of you that you - Tafar Chia Lewis. She plays
want to interact with striving blue devil in a group called
to get pure honesty out of Campbell Trace.
them. It all started one Carnival Friday if my memory
serves me right my father, an
ole Mas man continued exposing me to traditions, as he
insisted that I experienced all
the many things that made
Trinidad such a Gem. Carnival being his first love always.
I heard screaming but I saw
nothing, as I stood looking at
the other traditional carnival
characters passing I became
distracted. I wanted to know
where these timed, foreign
screams came from. Then
another rhythm was added
which influenced me body
moving to the beat as the
screams seamlessly fit within the rhythm of what I then
saw was a biscuit tin. A group
of five Blue Devils came my
way and I heard my father at
this time saying “Oh lord, dey
go harass me”, and he then
tried to grumble down the
end of his beastly cold Carib
but he didn’t succeed cause
he caught one of the devils
eye and he came up on