Pax Nindi FRSA is the founder of Junkanew TV and a pioneer in sustainable carnival practice. A Zimbabwean-British cultural leader, who has directed and advised numerous festivals globally, with a mission to centre eco-consciousness in celebratory arts. He is President for the World Carnival Commission (Canada) the Executive Director for the Global Carnival Centre and Creative Director of UK Centre for Carnival Arts. In this guest article, Pax shares his journey to challenge carnival organisations to think green—from using biodegradable materials for mas making (the designing and crafting of the elaborate costumes for participants in a carnival parade) – to reuse strategies and storytelling around climate.
“As the world grapples with climate change and cultural shifts, the vibrant heartbeat of Caribbean Carnival offers more than feathers and revelry—it becomes a lens through which we can examine sustainability, identity, and resilience.
My own journey began in 1989 with Trinidad Carnival. Over the years, I watched storytelling mas slowly give way to imported costumes, commercial scale-ups, and disposable aesthetics. But COVID changed everything. While the world paused, I founded Junkanew TV, a self-funded digital platform for global carnivalists to share knowledge and explore sustainable practice.
Broadcasting twice daily at times, we connected artists, designers, musicians, and mas makers from across Africa, the Caribbean, and the diaspora—sharing strategies and artistic responses to the pandemic. We later secured Arts Council England support to continue the work. Our message was clear: Carnival must evolve—ecologically, artistically, and socially.
In 2023, I attended Tobago Carnival—a calmer, more community-rooted experience than its larger cousin in Trinidad. But the spirit was there. Later in 2025, I returned to Trinidad. Amid a State of Emergency due to crime, I expected chaos. What I found was organisation, power, beauty—and contradiction. Carnival is an economic powerhouse (with over £1.5m in prize money in soca and calypso competitions alone), yet it leans heavily on imported plastics, glitter, and carbon-heavy logistics.
As a sustainability advocate and artist, that tension stuck with me. The waste is tangible. But so is the will to change. At Junkanew TV, we continue to challenge mas makers and carnival organisations to think green—from biodegradable materials to reuse strategies and storytelling around climate.
Carnival, historically, was a space of inversion. Of questioning systems. Of resistance. Can it now invert climate complacency too?
The root word “Bacchanal”—from the Roman god Bacchus—is about liberation, joy, and chaos. But even ancient Rome drew lines when the revelry got out of hand. Today, we must do the same.
Can we still party with purpose? ”
Watch Junkanew TV on YouTube HERE >>
Follow Pax Nindi on Linkedin HERE >>
This guest article originally appeared in our October 2025 Vision for Sustainable Events newsletter. Sign up to receive monthly event sustainability news, case studies and guest blogs direct to your inbox.