A Trini "Las-Lap" in Kenya

"Las-Lap" at the Tulia Mas-Camp

by Allyson Holder and Ray Mahabir


The sun greeted and kissed us on the final day of our mas-camp in Kilifi and we are filled with gratitude and the excitementThe day started with the decorating of drums using recycled materials with the early arrivals.
The young people used the art of paper-mâché to start the decorations. When the full complement was present we shifted gears and concentrated on the script, the area under the trees was cleared and set up as a theatre, one of the actors took a stick and marked an X In the mud to define the center of the stage. We then ran the play in three separate sections (Scene 1-3, Scene 4-6 and Scene 7-8) for evaluation on performance. The learning exercise was to emphasize staying in character throughout the performance.



 With the sun beaming down with a high of 34 degrees, we stopped for a short refreshment break.  We opened the next session with a talk by Ray on recycling and the impact of plastics on the environment. Ray brought out all the plastics that we had used over the last 3 days, plastic bottles, biscuit and sweet wrappers, and milk cartons and demonstrated how they could be used in the costumes. Ray wanted to ensure that certain parts of their costumes were finished by the end of the day and that the group would have enough methods and techniques to use in their costumes in the future.

At this point, the area was set up in the way that a traditional Trinidad mas-camp works, where everyone chips in and assists in different parts of costume making. The group moved between different tables and tasks which included, upcycled tee shirts to be used as ties, painting of drums, cutting neck pieces, making flowers with the biscuit wrappers, cleaning, and cutting of milk cartons for painting. All of this happened as the group sang various songs.

The next process was the set up of the decorating tables where the masks and music shakers were given their final touches. Ray explained that the final stage of their costume design would be the headdress and other accessories and this would be done under the guidance of Furaha during their weekly drama sessions.

In song and dance, the children formed a procession around the table that took us to a delicious lunch feast of Kenyan pilau, salad, juices and fruit that was prepared by Answari and his team.


To record our time in Kilifi we took group photographs and concluded with a summary of the last three days and similar to Trinidad carnival process, all parts for the costumes were put into individual bags. The children, of course, were reluctant to give up their bags for safe keeping.

Our experience in Bofa Kilifi was a great one. The group was lively, interactive and fun to work with. The Kilifi team of Answari, Furaha, Zwadi, Simon, and Kazungu were very supportive and we thank them. It was wonderful to be part of this project and we look forward to continued workshops in the future.

As the sun set on our "las-lap", we waved goodbye to our Uber tuk-tuk carrying our mas-camp tables which brought our four-day workshop to a close