Culture

Tae takes three; Sakarah shines

Shontae ‘Tae’ Alleyne-Clarke went where no other junior has gone before. The 15 year-old created history at the 2023 Scotiabank Junior Monarch Finals when she won her third straight title claiming a hat trick in the competition and retaining her Soca title.

Sakarah ‘Sakarah’ Thomas took home her first title when she copped top spot in the Calypso category.

It was in 2019, that Tae took her first title singing Stop De Violence. Last year she won the first Junior Monarch Soca competition with Party Nice Again.

After initial uncertainty about her participation in the event, Tae got her CXC’s out of the way to put on a stellar performance of Bajan Ting which gained her 116 points.

“I have no words. I am lost for words,” she said about the crowning moment. “I wasn’t really studying the results or anything. I just wanted to be better than last year.”

The Combermere student sees the win as a part of her journey to greatness: “I’m not going to stop. I’m going to keep going. This is something I really want to do. I really want to be international. Even if it is regional. I just want to show the people that I can sing and that I have something to offer to the world.”

Meanwhile, newly-crowned queen Sakarah put down a performance that impressed the judges.

“From day one I wanted to pull number one or eight,” said Sakarah about opening the evening’s proceedings at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.

The 17-year-old showed she was happy with her wish as she laid down a strong marker that the other participants found hard to follow. She gained 111 points for her riveting performance of Alexa that included a thought-provoking video presentation and technological props that drove home the point of the song.

“I feel like my hard work paid off,” she said, smiling, clutching the first place trophy that eluded her in 2018 after her third place finish.

“Instantly tears came to my eyes,” she said after the announcement of second placed Kenaz ‘The Mighty Bit Bit’ Walker.

“Now I can breathe better,” she said.

Both monarchs took home a Scotiabank account valued at $3,000, $2,000, a scholarship valued at $6,475 from the Barbados Institute of Management And Productivity (BIMAP), a $1,000 voucher from Courts Unicomer Ltd, a Samsung tablet courtesy of Digicel, a $500 voucher from Bridgetown Duty Free, and lunch for two at Accra Beach Hotel and Spa, a participating trophy and a winner’s trophy.

The Mighty Bit Bit placed second with 99 points for his rendition of Drugs & Disobedience. The song also won Best Self-Penned Calypso, which included a prize of $500 and a $200 voucher from Courts Unicomer Ltd.

First-timer Eden Potent Murrell placed third for his performance of Can’t Lash We.Only six points separated him and Bit Bit as he earned 93 points. Danesha Danekia Davis’ execution of Dear John landed her fourth spotwith 89 points.

Others who performed in the calypso category were: King K singing Dear God; Mhizz Khibaba with Unity Strength, Sabiah sang Your Creation and Slay with Just like These Women.

In the soca category Trinity ‘Trinity’ Clarke singing I Love Soca and Jazarie Zarie B Belgrave with his Get Active tied for second place since both received 104 points.

Trinity also won the Best Self-Penned Soca Song prize of $500 and a $200 voucher from Courts Unicomer Ltd.

Kymani Mr. Showman Devonish placed third with We Doan Care and gained 80 points for his performance.

Others who performed in the soca category were: Josh Ox with Push De Truck, Joshua B singing Dis Sweet Festival, Lil Stathis with Fold in Half and Ranesha singing Good Vibes.

No competitor went home empty-handed on Sunday night. Here is the breakdown as prizes from second place to eight place.

Second place: A cheque for $1, 500, a scholarship valued $2 465 from BIMAP and a $500 shopping voucher at Courts Unicomer Barbados Ltd. Third place: A cheque for $1,000, a scholarship valued $1 775 from BIMAP and a $400 shopping voucher at Courts Unicomer Barbados Ltd. Fourth place: A cheque for $750.00 and a $400 shopping voucher at Courts Unicomer Barbados Ltd. Contestants placing 5^th to 8^th: A cheque for $500.

In addition to prizes won based on placement, each contestant in the 2023 Scotiabank Junior Monarch Finals received a participation trophy, $500 voucher from Bridgetown Duty Free, and lunch for two at Accra Beach Hotel and Spa. (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.