Live For Local - A Lifetime In Carnival: Joanaline Wickham Zapata’s Creative Legacy

Live For Local: Joanaline Wickham-Zapata's Four Decades of Carnival Creativity

Published: 16th May, 2026

Earlier today, TTT Live Online dropped a powerful new episode of its Live For Local series, shining the spotlight on one of Trinidad and Tobago's most enduring creative forces. Joanaline Wickham-Zapata sat down with host Nicole Dookie to reflect on more than forty years spent shaping the mas that moves the nation.

A Lifetime of Colour and Craft

Wickham-Zapata's story begins in the vibrant fetes and mas camps of the late 1970s. What started as a young girl's fascination with wire, feathers and sequins quickly became a lifelong vocation. "Creativity flows in my veins," she told Dookie during the interview that aired just after midnight. Over four decades she has designed, sewn and mentored her way through countless Carnival seasons, never losing the spark that first drew her to the industry.

Her work has graced stages from Port of Spain to San Fernando, always pushing the boundaries of what mas can look like. Yet she insists the real reward has never been the finished piece alone. "It's watching the young ones take what you teach and run with it," she said with quiet pride.

Passing the Baton to the Next Generation

These days Wickham-Zapata spends most of her time in the classroom and the mas camp, deliberately making space for younger designers. She runs regular workshops that teach everything from basic wire-bending to the finer points of costume construction. Students leave with skills, but also with the understanding that Carnival is more than bacchanal — it is culture, history and national pride stitched together.

Dookie's conversation highlighted several success stories: former mentees now leading their own bands or teaching the next cohort. Wickham-Zapata beams when she speaks of them. "If they outshine me, I've done my job," she laughed.

Why Her Voice Matters Now

In an era when many fear that traditional skills are fading, Wickham-Zapata stands as living proof that the old ways and new ideas can dance together. She worries about rising costs and the temptation to cut corners, yet remains optimistic. "We Trinis always find a way," she said. "Carnival will survive as long as we keep teaching the children."

The full interview is already circulating widely on social media this morning, with viewers calling it "inspirational" and "a must-watch for every young designer." For those who missed the live stream, the recording sits on the TTT Live Online YouTube channel, ready to inspire another generation.

Joanaline Wickham-Zapata's legacy is not measured in sequins or trophies. It lives in every child who picks up a needle or sketches a first design because someone once showed them how. And thanks to conversations like today's, that chain shows no sign of breaking.

This is Sharon Sahatoo for Global1.news, reporting from Couva, Trinidad. 🇹🇹

Source: TTT Live Online via YouTube — 2026-05-16T00:55:20+00:00.