Carnaval del Pueblo

Every summer London hosts El Carnaval del Pueblo in Southwark. For a day Burgess Park is filled with the rhythms, colours, and cooking smells of Spanish America. It is an intoxicating atmosphere.

For me, the most impressive thing is the show of national pride. Flags are waved, costumes are worn, traditional food is savoured, and huge cheers resound at the slightest mention of, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Venezuela, or Peru.

Having been brought up in England this feeling of national pride is quite alien, since - unless we're in a football stadium - we almost seem to be ashamed of our heritage. Standing in that latin crowd a couple of years ago, caught in the moment, I remember wishing - very badly - that I were south american, so that I could be part of it too.


"Belonging" (oil on canvas 6" x 10")