Paula Lindo – Our histories, stories, present, future.

Shivonne “Lil Bitts” Churche-Isaacs is excited for the upcoming Carnival season. She recently launched a section in Ronnie and Caro Mas Band and is working on new music.

The theme for  Ronnie and Caro Mas Band 2020 is Serengeti, and Churche-Isaac’s section is Volkano. The Serengeti, which means Endless Plains in the Maasai language, encompasses a vast portion of land between Tanzania and Kenya. The Serengeti also has the only active volcano in the area, known as Ol Doinyo Lengai, or Mountain of God, from the Maasai language. Churche-Isaacs said “the spelling of the section’s name comes from Swahili, which is the language of Kenya. I was inspired to use the colourings from the volcano, so I used red, yellow, black and silver. The black and silver is the material of the bathing suit and mimics the look of the cracks on the volcano. The feathers are red and yellow and they mimic the lava coming out of the volcano. I used red and yellow gems on the black and silver to let it pop.”

She said she’s hoping to appeal to all age groups and body types. “For instance the front line is a very high cut bathing suit, which will appeal to younger persons but also mature women who are very comfortable in their skin, but there’s also an option where you can get a lower cut bathing suit for the more conservative women. For back line it’s a very stylish bra with a high waisted bikini. I chose a high waist because everyone isn’t a size one. I looked for a way to make it very stylish so it would appeal to both young and old by adding a stylish belt to it and the cut in the bikini is a little higher compared to the regular high waisted bikinis. Persons still have the option of getting a regular bikini or thong because we would like to cater to all. The material I used for the women really grips well and I’m happy about that because I want women to feel comfortable on the road. For the male they have the option of regular pants and for the men who are very comfortable in their own skin, there is the option of speedos and also a back pack as an additional option and cost. The costumes range from $3,400 to $6,800, which is in line with the 2019 cost. All female costumes comes with either a collar or back pack, depending on if you are playing backline or frontline.”

Churche-Isaacs said this is her third year doing mas and she feels it is a huge accomplishment. “I didn’t think I would make it through the first year because of the amount of the work, time and energy it takes. My husband, Seon Isaacs, who’s also a part of the mas with me gives me a lot of encouragement to go forward.  He doesn’t physically design but from the beginning of the process he’s there giving feedback on my drawings, materials and colours. He has excellent eyes, is brutally honest and has good suggestions, especially when it comes to the male costumes.”

Churche-Isaacs said, “As for the music, I’m currently in the studio cooking up music which I pray will evolve into hits on the radio station. I’ve never stopped releasing music for Carnival. I’ve been doing it since I was 16 and as much as I’m involved in other aspects of the arts, music will always be my first love.”