We live in a digital age, one that historians are calling, "The New World." Daring, hard work and innovation has yielded an unprecedented connectivity never dreamed of before. This world has brought forth new things to consume and ways to entertain our masses, but history will show the greatest legacy of this time is that we have discovered a new way of life is possible, and we can dare to imagine that there is more to come, more to discover.
The same description applies to the first manifestation of the title, that of the european perception of a western world they hadn't known existed, hence, "The New World." New to them, of course. Long before kings and queens commanded ships across the sea, clans occupied almost every part of the Americas, but once the Spanish and Portuguese began longdistance maritime travels in search of alternative trade routes to India and "discovered" the Americas, Europeans had to grapple with the idea that other cultures can thrive even without the societal structure they recognize.
Their cruel interpretation of the peoples their explorers found, their practices, lifestyle and even status as human beings was sadly misguided. They saw the coveted gold, minerals and SPICES but not the worth of these fascinating clans. They did not seem to care for who came before, nor did they imagine that other peoples would develop, even after colonization.
Spice asks you to step back from our New World and visit the original. The Carnival 2k12 theme, "The New World. Último. Actual. Futuro", will represent some of the amazing clans and cultures through time 'til today, as the world continues to evolve. Imagine that it is the age of discovery*, but instead of attempting to conquer and exploit the people met on these daring travels, imagine that the explorers connected and learned. What a different past, present and future it would have been for them, and for us.
