All Ah We is One: Caribbean Carnival Costume, Aisling Serrant

Caribbean Carnivals have been taking place around the UK since 1959. These joyous celebrations of culture and community began as acts of resistance in the face of enslavement — a defiant stand from communities who refused to lose who they were and where they came from.

Drawing from this rich and radical history, Aisling Serrant explores Carnival through one of its most vibrant and unmissable features: costume. First turned to by former slaves in the Caribbean as an act of reclamation and quiet resistance, with roots in West African and European masquerade alike, the colourful costumes of Carnival weekend remain a vital mode of self-expression, protest, and camaraderie. From Canboulay to Leeds and Notting Hill, the costume makers, wearers, and the communities they attract, embody Carnival in the spirit of an expression used across the Caribbean to signify unity among nations and peoples: all ah we is one.

About the author
Aisling Serrant has worked in cultural programming, community engagement and creative learning in a range of heritage and arts settings. She is currently Head of Learning and Engagement at Lowry, Salford, having previously worked as Cultural Producer at Bradford Council and in engagement roles at the London Museum and UNBOXED Festival 2022. Her work focuses on collaboration, co-production and participatory practice.

Designed by Chris Shortt
Illustrated by Rachel Moss
Edited by Jamila Abdel-Razek, Eleanor Chapman, Marisa Clements and Laura Moseley

Published by Common Threads
80 pages
200 x 140 mm
ISBN 9781068625060