Culture

Crop Over Visual Arts Exhibition opens May 25th

The first event, produced by the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), for Crop Over 2023 starts next week and runs throughout the Season of Emancipation.

On Africa Day, Thursday, May 25, 2023, the NCF will host the official opening of the Central Bank of Barbados Crop Over Visual Arts Exhibition entitled We Came on Merchant Ships.

The following day, Friday, May 26, the three-part exhibition will then be opened for public viewing at the Queen’s Park Gallery until Thursday, June 22.

The series of exhibitions seek to visually explore the concept of the necessity of trade for growth and expansion and all the consequences, rewards and challenges that come from migration, free, forced or otherwise.

The first exhibition, We Came on Merchant Ships – Movement examines movement in its many forms. The works of 29 artists will be on show. The exhibition captures the reason why people move, modalities for movement and the various cultural manifestations of migration – forced and free. Special emphasis will be placed on the transatlantic slave trade.

NCF’s Curator Oneka Small admits that although the topic is a tough one to approach, the Foundation was excited to showcase such a serious yet sensitive project using art.

“Curating this one has not been an easy task simply because it is a painful period in our history especially the show which focuses a lot on the transatlantic slave trade. So we are very excited though to be presenting the information through multimedia presentations such as photography.

She added: “We have digital work. We also have sculptures. Some amazing pieces by amazing artists. We want to keep them under wraps so that you come excited on the Friday, May 26, to see the show. It is a mixed medium, multimedia, all genre show. We are very happy to be presenting such a show this this year.”

Small is curating the exhibition alongside colleague NCF’s Visual Arts Officer Rodney Ifill, who commended the artists for stepping up and exploring the topic.

“We have 29 wonderful artists. We have so many artists on the island and I am glad that they responded to the theme because the whole idea of introducing themes like this is to get people to think, to research and then you become better for it because at the end of the day you are now collecting a pool of knowledge that you would have gone away with in terms of your own personal interrogation and presenting your sensibility to the public.”

The second exhibition We Came on Merchant Ships – Memories and Identity, which runs from Friday, June 30, to Thursday, July 27, the artists seek to interrogate the intangible aspects of trade. How do memories express themselves in displaced people? How is identity maintained, retained or assimilated within the new land of settlement?

While the third exhibition, We Came of Merchant Ships – Rites, Ritual and Religion running fromFriday,August 4 – Thursday, August 31 will see artist visually explore the continuation of rites, rituals and religion from the lands from which the present people of Barbados originated, for example, the Spiritual Baptist, Christianity and the rise of traditional African religions such as the practice of Yoruba, Hindu and other faiths.

For more information on details relating to the Exhibition, please contact Oneka Small via email at oneka-small@ncf.bb and Rodney Ifill Visual Arts Officer via email at rodney-ifill@ncf.bb (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.