On Sunday, I blogged about the carnival that was held at Square de la République in the city of Montreuil. From 10:00 a.m. until noon, children and adults were arranging their costumes and painting their faces in preparation for the big parade that would follow. From noon until 2:30 p.m. they enjoyed yassa (chicken cooked with onions) prepared by Moussa Doucoura and Fatou Ba and played carnival games.
At precisely 2:30 p.m., people began moving out of the park and into the street where, under police escort, they followed a circuitous route through the city, returning to the park. I recorded two videos: the first shows them moving out of the park, and the second shows them marching about midway through the course.
I hope that you enjoy watching these videos as much as I did in taking them!
A Lady Named Hawa Walking Alongside the Parade Route
(c) Discover Paris!
The Parade Route
Girl in Costume
(c) Discover Paris!
The marchers returned to the park, where the party and concerts continued into the evening!
I mentioned in the post on Sunday that the festival was organized by Sacamalices 93. This is a community association founded just a few months ago in the memory of Jean Acamas, a community organizer and activist who passed away in 2007.
The goals of the association are fourfold:
The association sees the carnival as one way of bringing residents, business owners, neighbors, and visitors together to achieve its objectives and simply to have a day of fun. They hope that their efforts in spreading conviviality and joy will endure, and they are looking forward to holding another festival in 2012.
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