Review: Carnaval del Pueblo

by Mark Lockett

Tucked in the back of the Cuming Museum on Walworth Road, Southwark, is the exhibition Carnaval del Pueblo: The Story.

The exhibition, as you might have gathered, documents the evolution of London’s Carnaval del Pueblo, and with it the impact of the Latin American community on London.

I am sure I am in the ignorant minority, but prior to going to the exhibition I had never heard of Carnaval del Pueblo – which seems odd considering it is ‘the largest carnival in Europe’.

Even after visiting, I am not quite sure what the purpose of the festival is beyond the perfectly reasonable aim of letting the world know there are Latino's in London. 

Though small – despite a £50,000 lottery grant - this free exhibition provides a rare insight into what is perhaps an under-represented section of the London population.

A variety of costumes are on display and the whole room has been painted in the style of a Rio mural.

A lot of the information is presented through images from the carnival – an annual precession culminating in a festival in Burgess Park.

The timing of the exhibition – which runs from October until March – is somewhat strange as the festival itself is usually in August.  

Large scale Latin American immigration to Great Britain started during the 1960’s and considering the amount of time that has passed since then, the exhibition has very little to show for it.

The Carnaval del Pueblo started in 1999 and this is what it is focused on. Though interesting to a point ,you leave feeling that this is an opportunity missed and that the surface has only been scratched on 40-years of history. 

Despite the lack of wider depth or scope the exhibition is well worth a look as a starting point for finding out about the Latin American community in London. This is especially true for LLC students, for whom the Cuming Museum is only a five minute walk away.