First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Carcanet Alliance House, 30 Cross Street Manchester m2 7aq www.carcanet.co.uk

Text copyright © Vahni Capildeo 2019

The right of Vahni Capildeo to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988. All rights reserved.

Cover image: ‘Battle of Flowers, Baranquilla Carnaval’ © Kike Calvo / Alamy 2019

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978 1 78410 731 4

Book design by Andrew Latimer Printed in Great Britain by SRP Ltd, Exeter, Devon

The publisher acknowledges financial assistance from Arts Council England.