With the annual humiliation ritual of Notting Hill Carnival begging for funding settled months ago, the way is clear for the event that calls itself “The Greatest Community-led Event on the Planet!” to celebrate it’s 60th anniversary with an app and range of stainless steel tumblers and water bottles. Meanwhile some in the community attempt find ways out of this monetary conundrum. (1)
Last year’s attempt to fuse history into the celebration with the community funded Kelso Cochrane billboard is replicated this year in part with with the backing of the carnival organisers. Once again inspired by former teacher Kayne Kawasaki, the event organisers have paid for a display of “the mother of Notting Hill Carnival” Rhuane “Ronnie” Laslett while the community itself have funded a billboard for “the mother of the UK’s indoor Caribbean carnivals.” (2)
The designation of Ronnie Laslett is the “the mother of Notting Hill Carnival” is contentious for some but part of a well established narrative. Back in 1998 Mike and Trevor Phillips wrote of “a number of different accounts about how the Carnival came into being” but proceeded to mention one, “the most convincing” tale of Mrs. Laslett. Indeed, others in the community have decried attempts to deprive of this accolade as “reverse racism.” (3) Yet this is countered by the likes of former Notting Hill Carnival organiser Claire Holder who states that Laslett’s “purpose was to revive the Notting Hill Festival which was not a carnival,” even though it was “an important influence and catalyst towards the carnival.” (4)
While the history does require both interrogation and illumination the future of Notting Hill Carnival is at least as pressing, if not more so. As the funding rigmarole referred to above indicates, it is debatable whether Notting Hill Carnival is owned or controlled by the community. In fact it could be argued that the has been subject to asset stripping, where the local authority and related agencies assume the role of private equity ostensibly in debt yet paradoxically generating hundreds of millions for external, corporate interests. (5)
Almost a decade ago a formation named Reclaim Our Carnival, described as “not a body of activists but encompasses everyone who’s actively involved with Notting Hill Carnival and the local community,” set out to “solve Notting Hill Carnival’s problems.” Issues it addressed included addressing the practical elements of running the carnival, wresting control from the local council, establishing a proactive media team and including more young people across the board. Over the time the group seems to have dissipated but the need clearly remains. (6)
(1) BBC News (27/03/26) Carnival given £5m to combat overcrowding dangers. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g8w2l3lyeo; Black Current News (17/07/26) Ali G’s racism, more Black peers and new Carnival 60 app. https://www.blackcurrentnews.co.uk/p/black-britain-round-up-ali-g-peers-carnival; Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (28/07/25) Can Notting Hill Carnival survive? https://alkebulan.org/2025/07/27/aswag-547-can-nhc-survive/; Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (01/06/26) Notting Hill Carnival @ 60: Where does it go from here? https://alkebulan.org/2026/06/01/aswag-591-nhc-at-60-where-do-we-go-from-here/. Bro. Kelyon “Coach Kelz” Ross has launched a petition for: Annual Government funding to secure Carnival’s future; National recognition of Carnival as a protected cultural tradition; Respect for the community that built it.
(2)Sinai Fleary (28/02/25) Notting Hill Carnival to have Black history billboard thanks to former teacher. https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/exclusive-news/2025/02/28/notting-hill-carnival-to-have-black-history-billboard-thanks-to-former-teacher/; Kayne Kawasaki (13/07/26) The Notting Hill Carnival Billboard Takeover is BACK! BIGGER and BETTER for NHC 60! https://www.instagram.com/p/DavkdSIge6z/?hl=en
(3) Mike Phillips and Trevor Phillips (2023) Windrush: 75 Years of Modern Britain. Mudlark. p. 267; Ishmahil Blagrove Jr (Ed) (2023) The Frontline; A story of struggle , resistance and Black identity in Notting Hill. Rice N Peas. Both Ram John Holder (p. 197) and Patsy Scotland (p. 206) make the reverse racism claim.
(4) Blagrove. p. 217.
(5) Vic Motune (02/08/24) EXCLUSIVE: Carnival generates £396 million for London’s economy. https://www.voice-onlin e.co.uk/news/uk-news/2024/08/02/carnival-generates-396-million-for-londons-economy/; Robert Reich (16/05/22) This One Thing Is Making Your Life More Expensive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaSn0iqzVv4
(6) Stephen Spark (19/01/18) ROC brainstorms Notting Hill Carnival’s future. https://socanews.com/news/roc-brainstorms-notting-hill-carnivals-future/
we ask the question:
Can Notting Hill Carnival survive? Pt. 3
1) Is NHC The Greatest Community-led Event on the Planet!”?
2) Is Ronnie Laslett really the “mother of Notting Hill Carnival”?
3) What happened to Reclaim Our Carnival, does it need to be revived?
4) How can young people be engaged?
Our Special Guests:
Dr. Claire Holder: is a barrister at law and Chartered Secretary who had also been the Chief Executive of the Notting Hill Carnival from 1989 to 2002. Claire has comprehensive experience of event management, having been the driving force behind much of the success of the Notting Hill Carnival from that era. Claire also lectures in Events Management and promotes the use of carnivals and carnivalesque events to facilitate community and social cohesion, thereby improving the stability of communities and society.
Eld. Cecil Gutzmore: is an internationally renowned veteran scholar and activist who has been active in the Pan-Afrikan community for over fifty years. He migrated to the UK in 1961 later spending a decade back in Jamaica. Has been student, factory worker, clerical worker, community worker, local government and freelance training and management consultant and university lecturer in London and at UWI, Mona, Jamaica. His activism combines Black and left class positions.
Eld. Cecil’s writings on history, philosophy of science and political science and cultural studies have appeared in The Black Liberator, Marxism Today, Race and Class and Interventions; as well as various book chapters, newspaper columns and reviews in The Guardian (UK) The Jamaica Gleaner, The Morning Star and other newspapers. His research interests including the visual history of Africa and her Diasporas has led to the production of a number of photo-history exhibitions dealing with Caribbean Women and Marcus Mosiah Garvey amongst others. Eld. Cecil has also worked on some of the films of Menelik Shabazz.
*******
Apologise and hold inquiry into ESN schools in the 1950s to 1980s: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/769015 – 49
Set up an independent inquiry into West Indian children placed in ESN schools: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/760415 – 292
Support the T21 Alchemy campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/f/t21-alchemy-raising-consciousness-around-around-disability
Support the Black Child Down Syndrome Project: https://blackchilddownsyndrome.com/about-us/
Afrika Speaks Archive: https://www.mixcloud.com/AfrikaSpeaks/