By Elliott West
“If there weren’t race riots in Notting Hill I don’t believe that we would have had the Notting Hill Carnival. If it wasn’t for the murder of Kelso Cochrane, Carnival wouldn’t have happened.
Darcus Howe
Introduction
The year was 1966, a year that we most associate with England winning the World Cup, beating West Germany 4-2 in the final. The UK was in the height of the Swinging Sixties and Harold Wilson was promising sweeping change as the first Labour Prime Minister since 1945. Yet bubbling beneath the surface was a cry for the black voice to be heard. A rich heritage that embraced cuisine, music, arts and literature and had been blown like a wind of change by the Windrush Generation. A voice that shouted from the rooftops for a mainstage stage to showcase their wealth of talent.
Yet beneath this loud cry, was a more sinister tone. A tragic event that without its occurrence may have prevented this catalyst from ever getting off the ground. A stoked fire that would form the path for the first Notting Hill Carnival to be staged in 1966. On May 17th 1959, Kelso Cochrane, a 32-year-old, Antiguan carpenter and aspiring lawyer was brutally murdered in a racially driven attack on Southam Street, Notting Hill. As a result, there was a local outcry with a mass turnout of 1,200 mourners at his funeral. The subsequent police investigation was flawed and highly criticised and even the then-Home Secretary Rab Butler ordered a public enquiry into race relations as a result, imploring that witnesses come forward. A culmination of racial tension that could no longer be swept under a carpet whose fibres were stained with racist crimes.
The Renaissance
“We felt that although West Indians, Africans, Irish and many others nationalities all live in a very congested area, there is very little communication between us. If we can infect them with a desire to participate, then this can only have good results.”
Rhaune Laslett
Before Kelso’s murder, there was a genuine effort to ease racial unrest in the local area. Claudia Jones arranged an indoor Caribbean Carnival at St Pancras Town Hall in 1959. One that was broadcast on the BBC and a lady who is thought to have planted the seeds for the first Notting Hill Carnival in 1966. The second influential figure who laid the foundations for the carnival was Rhaune Laslett, a local community activist. Her community children’s street fayre back in the mid 60s that would morph into what we now know as Notting Hill Carnival.
Rhaune had a good eye for musical talent and invited well-known pan player Russell Henderson with his other pan members, Sterling Betancourt, Vernon “Fellows” Williams, Fitzroy Coleman and Ralph Cherry. They would play at a number of musical events across London during the 1960s. This would lead to them being invited by Laslett to a local event for children. An event that she invited members of the Caribbean community to. Her vision of an outdoor multi-cultural community celebration was a huge success, seeing the Henderson Steel Band weaving through Portobello Road and a wave of the locals dancing in the street to the sound of the steel pans. So the Notting Hill Carnival was officially born.
Origins
By the time of the first Notting Hill Carnival, over 30,000 Caribbean people were living in the UK but you can trace the origins of this carnival all the way back to the slave trade. The Caribbean culture was closely linked to the festival of Mardis Gras and the masquerade balls held by the French plantation owners. While the owners partied, the black slaves were forbidden from attending. So when these enslaved people were emancipated, they made it a top priority to form their own celebrations and festivals. Drawing from these original masquerades, they used their own tribal dance and song to ridicule and mock these former enslavers.
Then and Now
The Notting Hill Carnival has evolved over its existence, becoming one of the biggest in the world. By 1974, 100,000 people were attending the event and Wilf Walker introduced the first stages in 1979 for reggae and punk bands to perform. Today over 2 million people attend the August bank holiday event and it is equivalent to 11 Glastonbury festivals combined. The carnival contributes around £93 million to the local economy each year and it costs £6 million to police it with 9,000 police officers required. Now there are 70 performing stages and over 40 sound systems. Pre-carnival events take place on Saturday with a number of house parties, the family day on Sunday and the main event on Monday.
This carnival is second only to the Brazil’s Rio Carnival in size. The colour, costumes, floats and smell of Caribbean food are amazing and although crime and drug-taking are highlighted by the media, this is largely a peaceful event with people attending just wanting to have a good time, dance to the music and soak up the atmosphere. Rain or shine, this carnival never fails to impress and superbly showcases a year of hard work and preparation. A community-led event that has grown into a true star in over 50 years of existence.
