Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to get encouragement during a time of loss of a loved one? No matter what anyone says, nothing seems to bring us comfort. I find it interesting, too, considering that we have all experienced or will experience the loss of someone we love. Notice I say love and not loved because the love continues even after death. I don’t know if you believe in a life after death in the religious or spiritual sense, but either way it is important to know that death does not have to be the end. As long as the memory of our loved ones lives within us and their legacy is carried on, that loved one never really dies. This is what Norman Josey is doing for his business partner and loved one of 26 years, Ricardo “Ricky” Lorick of Exotica Mas.
To hear Norman talk about his friend Ricky, carnival mas flowed through his veins. Born in St. Vincent on June 30, 1967, he was a man dedicated to excellence in carnival and it showed in his meticulousness when creating costumes. According to Norman, anything he touched shined and while at times he may not have always gotten the credit he deserved, he was a man of conviction and he displayed that at every band launching of Exotica Mas. The two worked as a team where Norman drew the designs and Ricky brought them to life. To his own admission Norman knew nothing of the culture until Ricky introduced him to the world of carnival life.
Now, many years later, Norman Josey is now faced with the role of mas camp leader of Exotica and at times the crown can be quite heavy. However, he remembers his friend. He remembers his concern and determination to maintain the culture of West Indian Carnival in the West Indies and America because he loved America. So because of this, it has now become Norman Josey’s mission to maintain the class and heritage of mas, focusing less on profit and gain, but more on the love of mas. Mas flowed through Ricardo “Ricky” Lorick’s veins. In The New Exotica, Norman plans to be every bit of Ricky, while being none of him. He plans on honoring his friend and partner’s memory and legacy by going full steam ahead with a fresh and new sense of style, finesse and love for Carnival.
