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Lee An­na Ma­haraj

For 24-year-old Sha­nia Sama­roo, cross­ing the stage at Car­ni­val was al­most a life­long dream. A pas­sion­ate ca­lyp­so, pan, and mas lover since child­hood, she al­ways looked for­ward to play­ing mas as an adult.

“Car­ni­val, and play­ing mas, was al­ways some­thing I want­ed to do. As a child, I would take part in mas com­pe­ti­tions at pri­ma­ry school, and I al­so played pan for a num­ber of years. I just love be­ing im­mersed in the cul­ture,” the self-ad­vo­cate ex­plained.