The Traveling Pan-African Carnival! [ d9 ]

↳ SHIV IRVINE

Shiv is tired.

There's really no two ways about it. Five years in and another election looming on the horizon, she understands why her sister stepped down from the position. It's exhausting, to say the least, a test of patience first and foremost, which has never been Shiv's shining example of good behavior. She tends towards a clenched jaw, a want to roll her eyes and flick her wrist at the ridiculous problems that pass her desk. She is a get things done kind of woman, hates talking around the issues and would rather get to the point, the root of the problem.

The root of Nine's problem though is a complete unwillingness to rely on the infrastructure in place. The gangs never stop rising. Like tides under the moon, they ebb and flow in their height, but they always come back. Always.

Worse and worse, more and more powerful, the water level rises and Shiv is afraid Nine is on the verge of sinking.

She's not above admitting that the hardest part of it all is the lack of recognition, the lack of care out of most people in powerful positions. It doesn't matter that she embraced the student exchange program, sent more people to Six to learn how to be doctors than any other. She's poured her time and care into the school system in Nine, sent funds to schools and after-school programs, even hired a girl that educated her on the existence of smaller Saturday schools teaching black heritage and sat in on a few sessions, bettering herself alongside the rest of the kids in the room. She'd taken her conversation with Ken all those years ago about healthcare, and turned it into her platform, made it even bigger and turned it into the thing that she channeled her whole life into. The people sent to Six would learn to become doctors, nurses, scientists, then come back home to Nine and spread knowledge and medicine, bettering their lives and the lives of kids across the district.

She couldn't have children, but she'd be damned if she continued to let the healthcare system in this district to fail those that could, to fail the ones that had been born to others.

She stands on the same stage that they call names out for slaughter, and it makes something twist in her stomach. The games are why she's never going to be able to win back Nine from the gangs, she knows. No one is ever going to. As long as Panem sees fit to kill her children, Nine isn't going to have any faith in its system of government. Still — "Welcome!" she calls, and her eyes are warm, her chest rising and falling evenly. She has to try. Looking out over the crowd of young faces, she has to try. "Thank you all so much for joining me today for the start of the Traveling Pan-African Carnival! As you all know, I am rather excited for this event. It's such an honor to be able to be a part of something like this, and I hope everyone here appreciates the warmth the carnival plans to bring to Nine."

She details the performers, introduces the dance troupes and the musicians and smiles all the way through, so much so her cheeks are starting to ache.

Nothing she isn't used to.

"Please, fill your bellies with some nyama choma, get a plate of injera and pile stew onto it. Collect all the beads that you can and let yourselves enjoy the carnival to its fullest. Let's get this party started!"

She walks to the front of the parade and the float she's organized to be at the very head of it, takes the hand of one of of the gaggle of kids. Together, they hand out small baskets of beads to each child and they board the float.

Throwing the beads feels oddly like spreading hope.

She knows it's not enough, nothing ever is, but it's something. 





OOC REMINDERS!

Local entertainers are encouraged to join in the opening parade with their own floats or walking performances, and are welcomed to set up their own booths or stalls in the main district square alongside the other carnival setups. So be creative! If you have a local way to celebrate black heritage, they want you to show it.

Beads are determined by a dice roll [*roll range="1-10"] in your first post, and all posts after earn you +2 beads.

Please keep track of your beads here!

This event will run until February 28th. 

And most importantly, have fun. x