photo albums in the hurricane in 1955 and also in 2004 with Hurricane Ivan , so it wasn ’ t a simple task ,” says Keens- Douglas .
With the help of Grenadians from all over the world , Keens-Douglas was able to compile some 250 photos that document the history and reality for the carnival Queens in the later colonial period .
“ It turned out to be a beautiful thing because eventually I got every single carnival Queen who won from 1945 to 1974 , except for 1946 .”
The history explored is one mixed with pride and the shame of the racially charged reality of pre-independent Grenada .
“ Colour mattered a lot , dark skinned girls weren ’ t winning , you had to be of a certain society to even enter the competition .”
Keens-Douglas explains that white tourists were often asked to judge the beauty contest because their perception of beauty could be expected to match those of the sponsors .
“ It those days , the lighter your skin , the straighter your hair and nose , that ’ s where beauty was . We were so brainwashed , and I did not want to lose that part of the history . Carnival now often focuses either on the time since independence or going way back in history hundreds of years with the jab
and the shortknee . The book preserves a unique time that many have forgotten , we can ’ t hide that part of our history ,” says Keens-Douglas .
Eventually attitudes started to change . And the first Black carnival Queen , Florine Hope , was named in 1963 .
“ It was a massive moving forward into change when she won .”
The story of the Carnival Queens was also one of friendship and community .
“ The carnival Queen show was THE show . It was bigger than calypso or panorama , the biggest prizes were for the queens , and those girls were often close friends ”
Keens-Douglas says seeing the evolution through photos is a way for Carnival lovers past and present to share in the lost history and decide what lessons to take into the future .
The book can be purchased from Amazon . com To Table of Contents
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