Nobody in the lunch rooms is talking about Music.
Some guy in a dark suit walks onto a stage and slaps some other dude for bad mouthing his wife.
The media goes wild. Lunch rooms around the world have a topic for discussion
The previous day, the headline news was Taylor Hawkins passing away in Colombia.
Obviously drugs were involved, he was in Colombia, what would you expect?
Except all traces of drugs found in his body were legal.
Ok I know, marijuana is not legal in many countries, unless it is the medicinal grade…
The one drug not mentioned, is that type governments are forcing upon people who travel to foreign countries.
Sad how a weak classless “joke”, and a weak classless response took control of so many lunch rooms.
Still in the insular part of the world I am in, we had street dances, musical and masquerade parades, parties and booze. Lots of it.
Color, noise, pretty faces, wrinkled faces, disguised faces, young people, old people and booze…
Some business’s remain open throughout the carnival. Manned by hungover employees, serving customers needing more booze, more food, more corn flour for another night of revelry.
Their lunch breaks are a time for rest, who cares about some dude bitch slapping another.
There is another big night to be had.
This time of year thousands of foreigners come to Barranquilla (Colombia), ready to submerse themselves in the collective joy, of debauchery and booze.
Beginning with the “Pre carnival” festivities which begin a week before the main carnival.
All scattered throughout the city, giving a taste of the fun to come ending with the Guacherna (a night parade), that takes place on the Friday night before the opening on Saturday.
It is not all booze and sex though.
Colombia is a conservative country. Its culture and heritage are important to it.
There is the children’s carnival with specially adapted floats. An Orchestral festival forms part of the carnival. Many of the dances are heritage styles from another era, some from other countries (Africa for example), that they like to bring back to life every year.
These, combined with traditional and popular dances add another dimension to the carnival.
The main parade on the first day, is the “Battle of Flowers” led by the carnival Queen, and followed by top line national and foreign musicians, local folklore groups blending rhythms, such as samba, salsa, reggaeton, champeta.
4 days of vigor and cultural richness. Organized as well as freestyle and original choreography.
Mythological beings having transcended the limits of sexuality and death for 4 days, come to an end.
Across Barranquilla, on this the final day, there are numerous funeral processions for Joselito Carnival, who died tired and drunk.
He will rise from the dead and be ready for next years carnival.
I am not sure I will awake and be ready for tomorrow. But at least there was more value in my life, and thousands of others this past week than “news” of a slap.
Commiserations to Taylor Hawkins family and band members. He would have loved the Carnival.
