Culture

NCF showcasing community culture this weekend

Participants who enrolled in the National Cultural Foundation’s (NCF) 2022-23 community training programmes across the island, will have the opportunity to showcase their talents this weekend.

When the Barbados Worker’s Union stages its annual Labour Day celebrations of Monday, May 1, at the National Botanical Gardens patrons there will see multiple dance routines starting at midday.

Over 200 Barbadians will perform during the NCF’s community cultural showcase. There will be wonderful choreographies in African Dance, Afrobeat Dance, Street Dance, Stick-Licking, Landship and Maypole as well as Tuk Drumming and Flute presented by the enthusiastic performers.

This cultural aspect of the day’s events is produced by the NCF in recognition of the Season of Emancipation which runs until August 27.

The Intangible Cultural Heritage programmes are aimed at reengaging the community by unearthing, training and showcasing community talent. This programme also acts as a sustainable tool for community sensitisation and mobilisation in these challenging times while utilising important aspects of our indigenous culture.

These sessions were developed in four zones: north, south, east and central covering every parish and were open to all ages and experience levels.

ICH Community Landship and Tuk and Flute classes were coordinated by The Pinelands Creative Workshop (PCW) and trained persons in the art of playing the instruments of the engine. This segment of the Programme also saw Barbadians embrace the nation’s traditional dance, where they benefitted from training in manoeuvres of the Barbados Landship and the movements of the Maypole. These sessions were also coordinated by the PCW.

Bajan Stick Licking, the indigenous martial art of Barbados, was revived by the training of participants, both children and adults in classes held at schools across the island.

Street Dance is an umbrella term used for a large number of social dances around the world. Dances such as Breaking, Popping Locking, Hip Hop, Voguing and for us in the Caribbean, Dancehall are all a part of the Street Dance family.

One of the most popular Street Dance Styles at the moment, Afrobeat Dance is a unique fusion of traditional African and contemporary or modern day movements. Dancing primarily to Afrobeats music, this new wave is the latest dance phenomenon to take the world by storm.

The African Dance cohort will be performing live for the first time on Monday. The group will perform “Ubuntu” – “I Am Because We Are”. Ubuntu embodies values such as community, love, joy, respect, fulfilment, solidarity, acceptance and dignity.

NCF Dance Officer Alicia Payne-Hurley said the showcase is months of hard work by participants and long hours of dedication by the coordinators and tutors.

“We are eager to showcase what our community training programmes have produced. The participants are excited to be on a national stage. Special thanks to the coordinators, tutors for their hard work and dedication. All that is left for me to do at this stage is to encourage Barbadians to come out and support their family, friends and the general community as they get ready to perform for you in this cultural heritage showcase,” she said.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, April 30, theatre arts lovers can head to the Daphne Joseph Hackett Theatre at 4 p.m. for We Stories, By We the NCF’s ICH Community TheatreShowcase which features participants in the ICH drama programme.

The drama showcase will feature group and individual presentations of varying lengths on themes affecting Barbadian communities. Topics such as mini-bus culture, mental health challenges and other socio-cultural stories have been explored by the different groups.

Among the pieces being performed Sunday are De Hustle, Everything Gone Up, Ah Tired, Dreams of Delivery, Fair Play, The State Ah Wunna, Village Blues, A Piece of Everything and No Man Is An Island.

The drama sessions contributed to building a sense of community among participants while contributing to the personal and social development of the individual.

Both the ICH Dance and Drama showcases are free to the public. (PR)

Culture

BPS Crop Over Do-Flicky Costume Competition Winners Announced

Five winning teams have emerged from the recently held prize-giving ceremony of the inaugural ‘Barbados Postal Service (BPS) 2024 Crop Over Do-Flicky Costume Competition’.

The winners hail from the Post Offices of St. Joseph; St. George; Welches Road; St. Philip and the General Post Office in Cheapside.

The overall winner of the competition is the eight-member team of the General Post Office’s Accounts Section, who each received an Island Safari Tour. Second place went to the Welches Road Post Office, third was the St. Philip Post Office, fourth was the St. George Post Office and fifth place went to the St. Joseph Post Office.

Winning Teams (flanked by BPS management), of the inaugural ‘BPS Crop Over Do-Flicky Costume Competition’, from the GPO; Welches Road PO; St. Philip PO; St. George PO and the St. Joseph PO.

Postmaster General, Joann Busby, in her address to the winners, stated, “We look forward to many more events like this in the future, celebrating both our history and commitment to excellence.”

Concept Creator of the competition, BPS Marketing Officer Neiai Hall said, “This competition aims to showcase the creativity and cultural expression of our staff, through costume design and performance. The theme of the competition is rooted in our rich heritage and the vibrant spirit of Crop Over.

On left – ‘BPS Crop Over Do-Flicky Costume Competition’ 2nd Place Winning Costume, On right – ‘BPS Crop Over Do-FFlicky Costume Competition’ 3rd Place Winning Costume.

“We have encouraged participants to design costumes that not only display their creativity but also incorporate elements that represent the services offered by the BPS”.

The judging criteria consisted of Sustainability; Creativity; Depiction of a BPS Service; Originality; Portrayal; Video Creativity and Originality; Practicality and Inclusivity and Descriptive Write-Up.

Plaques were presented to each of the winning teams and the St. Joseph Post Office also received the Postmaster General’s special award for Outstanding Advertising Video in the competition. (PR/GIS)

Culture

LAST LAP WEEKEND – Ended with Pic-o-de-Crop Finals, Foreday Jump and Kadooment

AN INCIDENT FREE FESTIVAL By David Harris

After two months of activities that included early morning breakfast fetes and late-night parties, the golden anniversary of the Crop Over Festival ended with the Grand Kadooment on Monday.

Over 10.000 revellers in 18 bands danced on the new route which began at the Helipad in Bridgetown and ended in front of Kensington Oval. The street parade was changed its 9 a.m. start to 10 a.m. by the National Cultural Foundation after the Barbados Meteorological Service placed the island under a severe thunderstorm watch.

Eventually, the Blue Box Cart band got the parade moving at 10.07 and the masqueraders began wining and chipping on the streets of Bridgetown.

Only 13 of the 18 bands on parade judged, among the revellers were Barbadian superstar and National Hero, the Right Excellent Robin Rihanna Fenty and former West Indies captain Brian Lara.

Some bands were still heading towards the Mighty Grynner Highway just before at minutes to 9 o’clock. Aura was the last band to reach the highway before the police ended the parade.

The Grand Kadooment ended an action-packed weekend that included the Pic O De Crop Finals at the National Botanical Gardens in Waterford on Friday night, the Foreday Morning Jam which began in Bridgetown in the wee hours of morning and the Grand Kadooment on Monday.

Fans were primed for thrilling contest between the defending monarch IWeb (Ian Webster) and Adrian “AC” Clarke who placed second in last year’s Pic O De Crop competition; but it was AC who captured the crown for the third time after IWeb who appeared to have forgotten the lyrics of the De Village Ram in the second half of the competition.

Clarke performed at number 16 (immediately behind IWeb) and stamped his authority on the competition with an impressive performance of the self-penned Going Fuh Crown, the judges awarded him 133 points, 28 more than Sir Ruel who came second.

Adrian Clarke the 2024 Calypso Monarch

His impressive performance won the first prize of $100,000 or a Nissan E Powe X- Trail valued at $136,000; Clarke told journalists after the competition he had opted to take the vehicle instead of the prize money. Clarke, 52, first won the crown in 2001 and in 2008.

Sir Ruel was the most outstanding performer in the first half with A Single Bullet, he wrote the calypso in memory of his brother Dario Jon-Luc Holder-Branch who was shot to death in February this year. The former Junior Monarch amassed 105 points and won a cash prize of $40,000.

*Sir Ruel, Pic of de Crop, 2nd place winner*

Perennial finalist Chrystal Cummins-Beckles placed third with De Proposal, the multi-talented musician, arranger and composer was awarded 97 points and the $20,000 prize.

Billboard placed fourth for the second consecutive his calypso earned him a cash prize of $15,000; and first timer Tae, the youngest competitor in the final took the fifth position and $10,000 with A Big Cirus.

Calypsonians placing from the sixth to tenth position received $8,000 each, those coming 11 th to 18 th got $6000.

The competition started 51 minutes after the scheduled 8 p.m. due to technical hitches with video presentations, and one contestant (Kid Site) had to start over his song because of problems with the audio. The second half started just after midnight and ended at 2.10 a.m.

In commemoration of the 50 th anniversary of the Crop Festival there were performances by former monarchs the Mighty Destroyer. Red Plastic, the Mighty Gabby and Edwin Yearwood.