The Caribbean artiste Machel Montano widely credited with popularizing the Soca genre around the world has just graduated with a Master’s Degree in Carnival Studies.
He recently completed the work required for a postgraduate degree at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). The campus has been offering the course for more than a decade. It allows students to explore the historical aspects of the carnival phenomenon, its relevance to regional identity and also teaches students about the business and entrepreneurial side of carnival and related activities.
Trinidad has one of the most acclaimed carnival offerings in the world alongside Brazil, Spain and Mardi Gras in Louisiana among others.
Montano had taken a break from participating in some aspects of carnival in the past three years or so but has already sounded the alarm that he will be back for a super set of activities on carnival Monday in February 2025.
“Are you ready for the biggest event of the year? On Monday, Feb. 24, 2025 there is only one place to be – Monday Madness. It will be Soca Insanity,” he announced in a promotional video this week. Taking advantage of his global popularity, the university wasted little time in releasing its own video of him receiving his certificate while belting out congratulations to him as it encouraged others to read for degrees.
“An undergraduate degree in Carnival Studies, you say? Well, why not? Trinidad & Tobago is after all the mecca of all things carnival – from the music to the mas and the fetes that usher it all in. We’re the ‘go to’ people for carnivals globally and our designers and band leaders can be found wherever there is a carnival. It’s only fitting therefore that the St. Augustine campus should have the exclusive on the BA in carnival studies. It’s the only program where students pursue a mix of studies in arts entrepreneurship, cultural and events management, cultural studies research and practice and carnival arts design. It provides strong linkages and practical engagement with creative enterprises and offers a classroom experience in which students are exposed to a range of disciplines: communication studies, theatre, visual arts, film, economics, tourism and hospitality and engineering. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” the school stated.