Honouring Callaloo Carnival Arts

At Barking & Dagenham Carnival 2025, @callaloo_community left us in awe with their bold and imaginative presentation: “Thirsty for Change.”

Using the traditional masquerade character ‘The Bookman’, they reimagined this iconic figure in powerful new ways – each version of The Bookman carrying its own unique story of thirst: for justice, for equality, for peace.

A little history: The Bookman is one of the classic traditional masquerade characters of Trinidad carnival. Dressed formally, carrying a large book and pen, The Bookman would stop spectators and pretend to write their names in his book – deciding if they were destined for heaven or hell. A character full of wit, symbolism & social commentary.

What made @callaloo_community work so special this year was the way they took this traditional character and gave it a modern voice – using the language of carnival to spark thought, laughter & conversation about the changes we all thirst for in today’s world.

Out-of-the-box, daring & deeply creative – this was carnival artistry at its finest. We are so proud to have witnessed it in Barking & Dagenham.