Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival is a grand spectacle of music, movement, and creativity. But beyond the revelry, there’s a growing group of individuals who, through various mediums, remain committed to the common cause of perpetuating MAs with a purpose.

These portrayals go beyond aesthetic appeal, using costumes and performances to address social issues, challenge norms, and preserve cultural heritage.  

From reviving traditional Carnival characters to creating contemporary mas with deeper meaning, designers, artists, and masqueraders are ensuring that Carnival remains a space for both celebration and reflection.  

Mas as a Medium for Change

Historically, Trinidad’s Carnival has been a form of resistance, with its roots steeped in African and Indigenous traditions of rebellion against colonial oppression. From the early Jab Molassie and Dame Lorraine characters to the more contemporary portrayals of political and social struggles, mas has long been a platform for commentary and change. Enslaved Africans used masquerade to mock their oppressors, and over time, mas evolved into a platform for social and political commentary. Today, this tradition continues through innovative portrayals that address themes such as gender equality, mental health, environmental sustainability, and historical memory.  

In this mini-series we ain’t to spotlight some of the key figures in purposeful mas. First up, Amanda McIntyre, who has been instrumental in reviving the Baby Doll character- a traditional mas that explores themes of female agency, patriarchy, and social responsibility. 

The Baby Doll masquerade has always been more than just performance—it has been and continues to be a vehicle for advocacy, particularly for women and children. 

Historically, the Baby Doll was played by a woman carrying a doll and demanding that male spectators claim responsibility for the child. In modern iterations, McIntyre and others have used the character to address issues such as absent fathers, gender inequality, and the struggles of single mothers. 

During an interview with Your Caribbean Guide, Amanda gave some insight into what drew her to this particular character. 

She explained that her background in advocacy which primarily focused on the rights of women and children may have been the first precursor.

Amanda said her journey into this art form began in 2011, prompted by the late Hazel Brown, a pioneering activist and then-head of the Network of NGOs for the Advancement of Women. Brown’s perspective on Baby Doll Mas was deeply rooted in activism, and that vision shaped McIntyre’s approach from the start.  

“Mas for me—this particular type of mas—was always with that purpose, towards advocating for women and children,” she explained.  

Over the years, that advocacy became a defining element of her work. In 2020she launched the Dolly Más brand, formalizing her efforts to blend traditional masquerade with social commentary. By 2024, with the establishment of the Dolly Más band and troupe, the focus on using the Baby Doll tradition as a platform for activism intensified.  

Today, many young women participate in the project, channeling its rich history of resistance and advocacy into their performances. “In terms of how they interpret movements and speech, they are still drawing from this rich history that Hazel Brown, especially, left in terms of advocacy for women and children,” McIntyre said.  

While the traditional Baby Doll character searches for the father of her child, McIntyre’s performers go further, using their speeches to demand policy changes. They address issues such as women’s and children’s rights, the role of the state in upholding these rights, and how institutions like the police and healthcare systems interpret and enforce them.

“For me, that is why this work has such a strong purpose,” McIntyre emphasized. The Baby Doll masquerade, once a simple act of street theatre, now stands as a powerful tool for social and political discourse, touching on everything from gender justice to climate change and education reform.

Amanda on the Personal and Social Impact of Baby Doll Mas

For Amanda, playing the Baby Doll has not only been an artistic and advocacy-driven pursuit but also a deeply personal journey. When she first stepped into the masquerade, she had no long-term plan. 

“I didn’t have a plan, like, you know, to say, okay, like, 15 years down the road, I’ll still be doing this thing,” she admitted. Yet, the role resonated with her on an emotional level in ways she hadn’t anticipated.  

That year, McIntyre was going through a painful period in her life—a separation from her first husband. As she portrayed the Baby Doll—a woman searching for the father of her child—the performance struck a deeply personal chord. “I, myself, did not grow up with my father. He died before I was born,” she reflected. “So there was importance being addressed as a Baby Doll, as a fatherless person, as a partnerless person. And so it really impacted me that year.”  

Her connection to the masquerade deepened further in 2022, when she suffered a miscarriage while in China. The experience left her in a deep depression, forcing her to question whether she could continue performing a role so intertwined with the idea of motherhood. “I wondered… whether or not it would be possible at all to perform motherhood after experiencing such grief around it” she shared. Even today, the emotional toll remains. “In some of the performances, you may see me, and I don’t even have the doll,” she said. “The other people in the troupe may have it, because, you know, on certain days, it’s really just difficult for me to do.”  

Beyond her personal experience, McIntyre has also witnessed Baby Doll Mas evolve socially and artistically over the years. When she first started in 2011, the masquerade was not widely popular, but its visibility and influence have grown significantly. By 2020, she was amazed at the overwhelming response from the crowd at Adam Smith Square, where she competed. That same year, she also solidified her role as a costume designer, taking on the primary design work for Dolly Mas.

Through Amanda’s work, Dolly Mas became the first Baby Doll group to introduce dance lexicon to the masquerade, which was traditionally not known for movement. “I see people outside of Dolly Mas, who play Baby Doll, take up these things,” she noted. “And I’m really happy to see that because what it tells me is that we had some social impact in terms of how the masquerade is interpreted, in terms of how it’s performed.”

While the public reception has been overwhelmingly positive, Amanda has encountered occasional resistance from individuals who believe the masquerade should remain unchanged. “People just have an idea that some things should just remain the same and never change,” she said. However, these critiques have been rare, and she remains focused on ensuring that Baby Doll Mas continues to evolve as both an art form and a platform for advocacy.

Amanda Bemoans The Need for Greater Support in the Carnival Industry

While Amanda McIntyre has seen Baby Doll Mas grow in popularity and influence, she remains deeply concerned about the lack of support for traditional mas makers within the Carnival industry. “One of the major problems in the Carnival industry right now is there’s just not enough support for the people who actually make mas,” she said.  

McIntyre pointed to families like the Alfreds in South Trinidad and others, for whom Carnival is not just a cultural practice but a primary source of income. Despite their contributions, she sees little effort being made to understand or address the needs of traditional mas practitioners. Instead, funding and resources are often directed elsewhere, not necessarily towards “the best stakeholders, the best stewards” of the Carnival tradition.  

Beyond the struggles of individual artists, McIntyre believes that the industry itself has failed to preserve its own legacy. “We don’t have a sustainable Carnival museum,” she noted. “There is one, but we have to ask—is it sustainable? And in what ways can we make it better?” She also highlighted the absence of a Costume Institute, a dedicated space to archive and study the artistry behind Carnival.  

“Every single year on the road for Carnival, I see things that are truly brilliant, and then you don’t see them anymore,” she lamented. “You don’t know what becomes of these costumes. And I wonder if there is any type of curatorial practice specifically designed towards Carnival.”

McIntyre is currently tackling these issues through her fellowship, working on ways to document and sustain the artistry of mas. However, she acknowledges the limitations of working alone. “There’s only one me,” she said. “What I really would like to see is the state become more invested.”

For her, preserving and supporting traditional mas is not just about honoring the past but ensuring that Carnival—in all its artistic, social, and economic dimensions—remains vibrant and sustainable for future generations.”