Bonobos and Wining: Monkey Business
Seeing as I am missing Trinidad Carnival this year, my mind has been focused on what is passing me by. As indicated in prior posts, I am what Trinis call a Carnival Jumbie -- I love everything related to it and will not miss another Carnival... no matter what.
Starting next year...
Anyway, last night on the Discovery Channel I watched a piece on the Bonobos monkeys. This particular group of animals is so very human in appearance and behaviour, it's a little scary.
Especially when it comes to sex.
Compared to Chimps, they are extremely peaceful and apparently it has something to do with all the sex they have. Sex is used as a greeting, to resolve conflicts, before and after eating, and just for fun -- one of the few animals that have sex for no apparent reason other than fun.
Oh, and did I mention that they have sex face to face?
What caught my eye, however, was a startling similarity between them enjoying their multiple partners per day of all ages, sexes and sizes ... and masqueraders wining in Carnival...
This clip does not do it justice... but I was amazed nonethless:
here is a clip of the Bonobos:
and here is a random West Indian picnic in the U.S.
Just made me go hmmm.... (wonder if that's what I look like...)
So this Carnival thing is all a bunch of monkey business?
posted by fwade @ 2/14/2007
2 Comments:
How is this similar? It may be ash wednesday but i'm sober enough to ask this question.
Trinisunshine,
Yeah... I couldn't get the clips I really wanted, even after wasting nuff time on YouTube.
The original documentary I saw on the Discovery Channel had me laughing my head off because a lot of the monkeys' moves looked just like we all do when playing mas, and wining down and having fun.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get the same clip from the show, and then I couldn't find one that matched closely enough, so I had to explain too much when the videos alone should have made the similarity obvious, so...
A Trini friend of mine told me once that without carnival the place would be filled with mad people, because of the pressure that it relieves each year.
Here in Jamaica, our carnival this year was recently reduced to just one band... and we have plenty pressure, and a whole lot of murders that are based on personal grudges and revenge.
Maybe there is a connection here.. he certainly thought so, and over the years, I have come to think so too.
Thankx!
How was your carnival?
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