Culture

NIFCA Belongs To All Barbadians

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight, has underscored the importance of the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) to the Barbadian landscape, saying its “birth” provides the space for the full expression of the arts.

Speaking during the launch of NIFCA 2023, under the theme 50 Years of Excellence Remembered, in Queen’s Park, Constitution Road, St. Michael last night, she stressed that the early builders of the festival, the late Jeanette Layne Clarke, her late husband Arden, and Elombe Mottley, made a “clarion call in 1973, for Barbadians to “value and see Barbadian arts by embracing the rhythms of our own culture”.

Senator Munro-Knight stated: “This was 1973… This was the birth… This was the context of NIFCA. It was a space in which we were now coming of age in our own national identity.

…And in this context for me, it is no wonder that our Father of Independence (the late Prime Minister Errol Walton Barrow) and I got this quote from the preface of a publication of the New World Independence Issue, in which he said, ‘our total commitment now and for the future is nothing less than the social and cultural upliftment of our nation. In this challenging task, we know who we are, whence we came, and where we are heading.”’”

The Minister reasoned that the project of nationhood, as enunciated by then Prime Minister Barrow, was a call to bring Barbadians together from a social and cultural standpoint, to have the confidence to face the world and the challenges presented at that time.

Dr. Munro-Knight added that the birth of NIFCA in November 1973, provided the structured space for the expression of our arts, and for the “oppressed” to see themselves in a space in which they were valued and where they could “breathe, rest and sit in their own expressions”, but had now evolved from its early genesis.

“NIFCA had to evolve… The early themes we had about folk… and the resonance within schools and community involved…complex themes that reflected what we have faced and what we are still facing, climate change…domestic violence, and things that we didn’t want to say out loud, the NIFCA stage provided expression for…” she stated.

The Minister continued: “It created a mirror for us to look at our societies and say things that we were perhaps a little bit uncomfortable with and perhaps, that is the job of the arts. But the impact of NIFCA goes beyond just the performance that we see on the stage. It goes just beyond the prizes, and even the acknowledgement. For me, there is the intrinsic value, as I said before, of us being able to celebrate our culture and the people that live it, breathe it and then express it for us…”

Senator Dr. Munro-Knight added that NIFCA belongs to the people of Barbados, as “Barbadians from all walks of life”, can see themselves represented on the NIFCA stage.

There was also an address from the Chairman of the National Cultural Foundation, Dr. Jasmine Babb, video testimonials from the past, and entertainment.

Prior to the start of the official launch, actor Victor Clifford narrated a piece on the history of NIFCA, as patrons strolled across the courtyard and entered the Daphne Joseph Hackett Theatre. (PR/GIS)

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.