There will be some new troupes for carnival this year in Anguilla to reflect some of the cultural and historical aspects of the island. This is according to Jason and Laura Fleming of Sandy Hill.

Amerindian Troupe

The partnership couple showcased their ideas about what they called the “Ahyah Exquisite Costume Launch Party” held at the grounds of the Old Factory compound last weekend. “Here in Anguilla, ‘Ahyah’ is a common expression. Laura and I are co-directors of the carnival troupe. It is East End based but we are reaching out to all the other villages on the island to become involved,” Jason said. "We are looking at a mixture of about 200 participants."

“We are taking it back in time to the Amerindians, the first indigenous people of Anguilla. Our costumes will depict those early inhabitants. From there we will go to the staple crops of Anguilla, peas and corn. We have a green and yellow costume to pick those crops.

"At present we have a costume that depicts our powdered white sand and blue waters.

Another troupe with Jerome Roberts

"Those are three of the five sections of our troupes so far. One of the sections will involve the clay we have over at Little Harbour. Some persons who come here on vacation are the ones who experience that natural clay effect on their skin. We are going to use that to create a mud effect from head to toe. Another costume, for young children, will not be as revealing as some of the others. We want something that is very colourful so we went to our local designer, Fabriana of Why Not? and she came up with the green outfit they now have.”

Jason and Laura Fleming

Jason and Laura have a considerable amount of experience in the field, having being involved in costumes and troupe development in the Virgin Islands and the United States. They presented a troupe for carnival last year in Anguilla.

The couple is being supported in its efforts by Jerome Roberts, their friend in East End.

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