rhetoric

According to Sonja K. Foss, rhetoric is the use of symbols to communicate; in this understanding, humans use symbols to communicate, not signs. Rhetoric can be an invitation to understand, and in the case of Caribana, the festival uses aural and visual symbols to offer the perspective of Caribbean countries and invite others to understand more about the culture and traditions. Communication is one of the purposes of rhetoric, and Caribana participants use aural and visual components to communicate some of the main elements of Caribbean culture. Music is an important aspect of Caribana, with genres including calypso, soca, reggae, etc. The different styles of music are symbols, representing the different countries and regions from which the music originates. The various brass bands, steel pan bands, and DJs play music that symbolizes or in some way relates to one of the Caribbean countries. One of the visual symbols of Caribana is the float parade. Each float is intricately designed to symbolize a tradition, story, aspect of Caribbean culture, or something fantastical. The costumes the parade participants wear can also be seen as symbols that are used for communication. The colours, material, and silhouette of Caribana costumes all represent different Caribbean countries’ traditions. Another visual symbol of Caribana is the array of colours that are chosen by those that run the festival. The colours can symbolize the soul of Caribbean countries, one example being green and blue feathers, glitter, and floats to represent the greenery of Caribbean countries. These various aural and visual symbols are a way for participants to communicate with spectators and invite them to understand different aspects of Caribbean culture, and the range of cultures and traditions that originated from Caribbean countries.

cultural communities

Cultural communities are spaces in which groups organize under a set of shared beliefs and practices. With this definition of the term, Caribana can also be understood as a very large cultural community. Volunteers, board members, and community members come together each year to create a grand festival in celebration of Caribbean culture. Cultural communities are used to understand meaning-making in specific cultural communities, and in the case of Caribana, this cultural community can be understood as a way to enjoy Caribbean culture and traditions and is an event with the purpose of creating a shared space for those within the cultural community to feel a shared sense of identity and pride.

Neo-Aristotelian Criticism

This rhetorical concept draws from historical approaches from Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian. Neo-Aristotelian criticism aims to analyze the rhetorical situation using rhetorical terms. By applying this criticism to Caribana, terms such as arrangement and delivery can all be explored. Arrangement is a rhetorical term that can be applied to Caribana, as the arrangement, or structure, of the festival is a main component of the celebrations. Careful thought is put into the organization of the events, the float order, costume and colour design, and music choice. Depending on the event, emphasis is given to some of these aspects over others to ensure the best possible experience for participants and spectators. Delivery can also be applied to Caribana, in the form of dance. Dance is one of the most important aspects of the festival as well as Caribbean culture; parade participants also lead the floats by dancing to music. This can be seen as a form of delivery as dancing in the context of Caribana involves posture, movements, gestures, eye contact—all things that affect the audience as they digest Caribbean dance styles. These components are some of the ways the parade participants present Caribbean culture to spectators.

caribana and dominant ideologies