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Wherever there are people, there’s a Tribe, is Tribe Carnival's new tagline, and it would be fair to say that since the band’s inception in 2004, it has indeed amassed its own tribe. Come next year, the Carnival organisation will celebrate its 20th anniversary.
A new brand identity has come with that milestone, the organisation’s CEO Dean Ackin announced on July 19, at The Renaissance at Shorelands, Westmoorings. The organisation unveiled its new logo and tagline at the event. Among those in attendance were Port of Spain mayor Joel Martinez and soca star Machel Montano.
What began as a band has morphed into a six-band Carnival organisation with several titles to its name. It will launch the presentations of its six bands for Carnival 2024 at its Sunset Wkn from July21-23. The bands include Tribe, Bliss, The Lost Tribe, Harts, Rogue and Pure.
[caption id="attachment_1026492" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Soca star Machel Montano, left, and Tribe Carnival's CEO Dean Akin deep in conversation at the organisation's The Renaissance, on July 19. -[/caption]
In a media release earlier this month, Tribe Carnival had said highlighting climate change and the importance of environmental preservation was a priority, therefore the 2024 presentation for the band Tribe will be Rainforest.
The organisation said it wants to underscore the importance of protecting the environment and the urgent need for it to be done.
Akin announced that artificial intelligence (AI) will form part of the band’s continued evolution. He did not give full details but promised to give more as Carnival neared.
"Let me give you a hint. We will also be tapping into the use of AI: and this time by 'AI,' I don’t only mean all-inclusive! We will be piloting some projects this year with chatbots and facial recognition technology…”
Ackin said, “This year, we have welcomed new partners, new designers, and new committee members to our team. We are upgrading our showrooms. We are constantly re-engineering our offerings – everything from registration to food and bar service to costume distribution to the road operations and amenities, in order to improve customer experiences."
[caption id="attachment_1026491" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Tribe's 2024 Carnival presentation will be Rainforest. -[/caption]
He said the covid19 pandemic taught the organisation that Carnival and Caribbean entertainment are delicate ecosystems with interlinked people “who could not exist without one another.”
“When one of us struggles – entertainers, artists, or business people – we all struggle. Likewise, when Tribe succeeds, so does Trinidad and Tobago, because we have become such an intrinsic part of our culture,” Ackin said.
“Yes, Tribe’s impact is undeniable. I am not mincing words, because trust me when I say that countless people have worked hard for our successes. And that is really the point I am making. Without our community, which extends from the media who faithfully attend and cover every Carnival and entertainment event, to the leaders within our society who support the festivities, to the workers, to the public who faithfully come out to celebrate year after year, there would be no Tribe.”
Ackin said the organisation also wants to build a successful and happy TT, and intends to do so through the three pillars of people, culture and planet.
Under its first pillar; people, Ackin said the organisation sponsored TT’s Under 19 Cricket Team and will purchase medical equipment for the Princess Elizabeth Centre.
Through the second pillar, which focuses on the planet, the organisation and environmental company Green Circle planted trees in Los Iros, Siparia. In 2023, it started recycling bottles used during Carnival with Carib Glassworks, and has since told its caterers to use biodegradable packaging and has plans to have a plant drive.
Tribe, in collaboration with UWI, will also give two scholarships to UWI students reading for a postgraduate diploma in Arts and Cultural Enterprise Management.
“And in 2023 that student will be offered a one-year practitioner’s certificate in Carnival Arts,” Ackin added. He also spoke to Tribe’s donation of TT $60,000 to the TT Carnival Museum.
 
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