Nicole Moses-Beckles Wins Tobago’s Monarchs of Mas

The Full Story

Nicole Moses-Beckles won Tobago’s Monarchs of Mas competition in Scarborough with a portrayal called “Looking for Mr John Boulay”, TTT News reported on 23 October. The character is a well-dressed woman on a donkey searching for a man from Charlotteville; TTT said Moses-Beckles received a TT$30,000 prize. Ten women competed at Market Square. The result is more than a costume headline: the participants used the stage to interpret traditional mas characters and Tobago memories ahead of the main October Carnival period. The Tobago Tourism Agency lists the larger celebration for 30 October to 1 November, so the Monarchs event is a lead-up rather than the opening day of that three-day main programme.

Sources: TTT News, Monarchs result, 23 Oct ↗ · Tobago Tourism Agency, festivals ↗

In its 21 October preview, TTT described a festival theme centred on mud, mas and music and said the Monarchs competition would start the lead-up in Scarborough. The Tourism Agency describes Tobago Carnival as a showcase of heritage and performance as well as street celebration. That context helps explain why the competition includes character stories and hand-made work, rather than measuring the result only by prize money. The preview and result are both TTT reports; the tourism page supplies event dates, not independent judging results.

Sources: TTT News, Carnival preview, 21 Oct ↗ · Tobago Tourism Agency, festivals ↗

TTT said Moses-Beckles worked with mas makers Patrick Mills and Susan Harriet on the burrokeet element of her presentation. Her account connects a Charlotteville character, donkey imagery and carnival craft. The story also named Janelle Eastman’s “Queen Moola” as an effort to revisit cow mas, while Leslie-Ann Benjamin presented a handmade design combining sailor mas and fire-coral imagery. Marisa Ward-Robley’s presentation drew on women’s dress from earlier decades. These are the performers’ explanations of their work as relayed by TTT, not a complete official score sheet or ranking of all ten contestants.

Sources: TTT News, Monarchs result, 23 Oct ↗

The varied entries show how a contemporary competition can keep different forms of memory visible: named local characters, animal mas, sailor mas, marine imagery and historic dress. There is no evidence here that one costume represents Tobago tradition as a whole. An official results list and credited images from the organisers would let readers see the complete field and the makers behind each piece. For now the verified account is the reported winner, prize, selected presentations and festival dates; neither photographs nor judging criteria have been republished without permission.

Sources: TTT News, Monarchs result, 23 Oct ↗ · Tobago Tourism Agency, festivals ↗