Mr. Carnival, Where Were You?

By Albert Huggins

Mr. Carnival, Where Were You? is a story about a little Black African boy who accompanied his mother and family and friends on a dancing journey on and around the coast of Africa during the European Missionaries' Christian celebrations. While everyone in attendance was tired, weary of a long journey, he was still dancing entertaining the audience. To honor his dancing performance, the Europeans called him Carnival, in English means "festival, or merrymaking, before Lent." While the European Missionaries' celebration was going on, the African slave trade began. He was captured by the Danes and brought to St. John in 1733. During St. John's slave rebellion, he stowed away on a French soldiers' sailing ship onto French St. Martin, where he continued his dancing performance. Everywhere he was dancing, people in the audience would gather together and sing and shout, "Mr. Carnival, where were you?"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685262976

Book preview

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Mr. Carnival, Where Were You?

Albert Huggins

ISBN 978-1-68526-296-9 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-68526-297-6 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 Albert Huggins

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Table of Contents

About the Author

Mr. Carnival, they never lived their lives the way they wanted to live. They live their lives the way they wanted them to live! The lives they lived on slave plantations! Slavery! Christianity! Slavery! It was all about slavery! Slavery was not no act of love wrapped in dignity! Slavery was an act of greed and disrespect that made some Europeans countries' kings, queens, and emperors famous, wealthy, and powerful while those who bore the burden of slavery suffered. Europeans sailed onto the African continent as missionary Christians, Bibles in hands; explorers; investors; charities; and health-care workers, then took over! They did what they wanted with the Africans they met—slave them mentally, no education, change of languages, change of names, take away their character and values in their lives. Slavery, slavery, slavery! It was all about slavery.

Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, Africans use to dance to the sounds of traditional African rhythms been played on various African drums (conga, dundun, and djembe). What started as a vision dancing on around the African coast alongside Mama Carnival almost landed you in a lifetime in slavery on foreign plantations. Dancing on and around the African coast was African's vision and dreams. Everyone knows a vision without action is just a part of a dream. Action with vision is just a thing of the past. Vision with action will change the world spiritually and culturally. There will never be improvements without changes.

Born and raised on the African coast, I had my share of hard times at a young age and move around with the love of my life, Mama Carnival. Oh, how I adored her; love her; dance around with her; celebrate with her days, nights, and weekends. For many years, she served communities on the African coast well. Her communities on the African coast gave her many surprise parties and other events of the year. The day she lived for finally came. Everyone who knows her loves her, celebrates with her with bells on their toes, costumes on their bodies, swords in their hands, shield on their forearms, painted faces, drummers drumming African songs. For her, strike up a pair of African drums, and she would dance. Dance along with me, her son, and brothers and sisters by her side. For many years, she taught me many dance moves. On occasion, she would stumble. She always got up, stood up on her own two feet, then would say, God never fails. She was in love with God! Along with me, her son, brothers and sisters, we all attended European missionary celebrations! We both dance around to entertain everyone in attendance, dancing along with the young, energized and full of strength, during the European missionary's celebration.

To honor me for my dancing performance, European missionaries called me Carnival. In English, this means celebration, amusement park, traveling show. Also, during the European missionaries' celebrations, they preach about that beautiful city of land of milk and honey when you get there. They never said where that land and city was, on heaven or earth. But your brothers and sisters misunderstood what the European missionaries were preaching about. With their misunderstanding and Christian lifestyle, you accompanied them as a culture. They were on their Carnival journey, chasing their vision and dream of dancing in and around the African coast, searching for that city, the land of milk and honey, where they could settle down, start their new lives with the beating of drums, celebrate in songs, dance around dressed in costumes, in troupes and floats, like traveling shows, in amusement parks, then return home to the African coast when they wanted to, singing these courses.

We saw the city that could not be hidden.

We saw that city. Oh, yes, we did.

We caught a glimpse of the golden throne.

Tell us all about it, go right on.

Around the throne, we saw a crystal sea.

There's got to be more. What will it be?

We want to live in that city we saw.

We want to walk the golden streets.

And we want to walk where the angels trod.

We want to rest, on Jordon's stormy banks,

We stand and cast a wishful eye;

To cannon's fair and happy land where our possession lies,

We're bound for the promised land!

We're bound for the promised land!

Oh, who will come and go with us?

We're bound for the promised land!

There, God eternally ever reigns and scatters night a way.

We're bound for the promised land!

Who will come and go with us?

We're bound for the promised land?

When shall we reach that happy place and be forever blessed,

When shall we see our father's face and in his bosom rest?

We're bound for the promised land!

Oh, who will come and go with us?

We're bound for the promised land?

We will be going home on the morning train,

We will be going home on the morning train,

For the even train will be too late.

That's why we will be going home on the morning train, this train,

This train is bound for glory,

This train does not carry nothing but the righteous and the Holy.

Better days are coming by

And by, by and by, better days are coming by and by,

When shall we reach that city in the sky,

Sorrow will be over jot will come at night?

When we reach that city in the sky,

We going to sing redemption story,

We going to tell of how we make it,

Oh when we reach heaven and rest.

We're going to heaven and rest.

We're tired of staying down here,

Tired of the troubles and trials,

We're tired of staying down here,

He'll understand it by and by,

Thank you, Jesus!

Singing songs of praise while dancing on and around the African coast, searching for that city, was their vision in their lives. Reaching that land of milk and honey was their dreams in their lives too. With their vision and dreams, you accompanied them as a culture. They were dancing on and around the African coast, spreading the fun and joy of Carnival to everyone they met on their Carnival journey, searching for that city when they get there, doing what they do the best: dancing alongside Mama Carnival. On your brothers and sisters Carnival journey, they use your name (Carnival) as a way to celebrate dance and have fun. While doing so, your brothers' and sisters' Carnival journey was all about singing, dancing, entertaining, preaching, converting lost souls while singing the words of their favorite scripture in the Bible, Psalm 23.

The Lord my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside still waters, He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his Name's sake.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil for thou art with me,

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou prepare a table before me,

In the present of my enemies:

Thou anointed my head with oil; my cup rennet over

Surely goodness and mercy shall fallow me all the days of my life

And I will dwell in the house of the lord forever.

With God's blessing and the words from their favorite Psalm 23, the Lord is my Shepherd, they were dancing on and around the African coast, searching for that city and land of milk and honey, where they could settle down and start their new life, with the beating of African drums, parades in songs, dress in costumes, in troupes and floats, like traveling shows, in amusement parks, then return home when they wanted to. They were dancing so, dancing on and around the African coast.

The Portuguese/South America transatlantic slave trade began in 1526. Portugal explorer Vasco de Gama navigated a fleet of Portuguese ships including the Sao Jose Paquet de Africa to the western coast of Africa in search of spice, nutmeg, gold, silver, diamonds, pearls, minerals, and land to build forts and barracks along the western African coast. Not long after Portuguese landed on the western coast of Africa, they started picking side, trading guns and gun powder to Congo tribal leaders in exchange for captured Kingdom of Ndongo fighters in the ongoing war between Congo tribal leaders and the Kingdom of Ndongo. Kingdom of Ndongo fighters, who were captured, were traded to the Portuguese for guns and gunpowder. They were to be transported