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Jocelyn Arndell (died 2021): Carnival Village pioneer and Tanny & The Boys historian

Senior civil servant and musician Jocelyn Arndell brought the Carnival Village idea to St. Maarten in 1970 and played with Tanny & The Boys; the Festival Village was renamed after him in 2022.

By SXM Daily ·

Jocelyn Arndell (died 2021) was a St. Maarten senior civil servant and musician. In 1970 he brought the idea of a Carnival Village back from St. Thomas, and the village opened on 11 November that year. He also played güiro with the string band Tanny & The Boys and was its historian. The Festival Village on Pond Island has carried his name since 2022. According to House of Nehesi Publishers, he was born on Curaçao in 1941.

Illustrative: Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, with the Parliament building

Illustrative photo: Richie Diesterheft, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Carnival Village

Lt. Governor Reinier O. van Delden commissioned Arndell to study how Carnival was organised in St. Thomas. He brought the village idea back in April 1970, and the Carnival Village opened on 11 November 1970, the Government of Sint Maarten and The Daily Herald reported. A Minister of Culture later honoured him among the pioneers of the Carnival Village for that mission, SXMElections reported. The village became the home of Sint Maarten Carnival.

Civil servant and musician

Arndell served in various government departments as a senior civil servant, the government said. He was a member of Tanny & The Boys, playing güiro, and House of Nehesi describes him as the band's historian and an original member of its forerunner, Seteto Flores. In 2009 the Government Information Service, citing Arndell, set out the band's history under its successive names.

Death and legacy

Arndell died on Friday 29 October 2021, the Council of Ministers said in a condolence release that called him a culture icon. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs said: "St. Maarten has truly lost a hero whose legacy will remain for years to come."

On Tuesday 3 May 2022 the Festival Village on Pond Island was renamed the Jocelyn Arndell Festival Village at a ceremony hosted by VROMI Minister Egbert Doran, The Daily Herald and Soualiga Newsday reported. It has since hosted events such as the Senior Calypso final of Carnival 2024 and the end of the St. Martin Day 2023 cultural parade.

Sources

  • https://sxmelections.com/news/47174/the-council-of-ministers-extends-condolences-to-family-and-friends-of-culture-icon-jocelyn-arndell
  • https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/pm-st-maarten-has-lost-a-hero-with-jocelyn-arndell-s-passing
  • https://sxmelections.com/news/19498/minister-of-culture-honors-pioneers-of-the-carnival-village
  • https://houseofnehesipublish.com/sxm/tanny-the-boys/
  • https://smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/3600-tanny-and-the-boys-as-they-celebrate-50th-anniversary
  • https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/festival-village-renamed-after-late-cultural-stalwart-jocelyn-arndell
  • https://www.soualiganewsday.com/index.php?Itemid=450&id=43499%3Afestival-village-renamed-after-national-cultural-icon-jocelyn-arndell&option=com_k2&view=item

Source: https://sxmelections.com/news/47174/the-council-of-ministers-extends-condolences-to-family-and-friends-of-culture-icon-jocelyn-arndell

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