Culture

NIFCA MUSIC FINALS THIS SUNDAY NOVEMBER 12

As the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) moves into high gear, the Music Finals is shaping up to be a spectacle.

The quality of performers is high, their excitement is infectious and all systems are ready for when they take the stage at the Frank Collymore Hall on Sunday at 7 p.m. This is from the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Cultural Officer for Music Education, Kevin Moore, who expressed his pleasure about the standard of talent, the level of interest among young people and the increase in originality.

“We have a lot of young persons who are coming forward who we didn’t know about before that have a high standard of performance, the school choirs, the school bands – everyone is performing at a high level. . . . We are seeing original music come through and the quality of the original music is very good.

“Some of it is R&B, some of it is calypso/soca fusions with R&B some form of Jamaican reggae or dub what have you. So, there are some interesting new presentations and there are all of high quality,” Moore emphasised.

This year’s finalists range across a plethora of genres including: traditional/folk, contemporary/popular, classical, experimental/fusion s, jazz and religious.

The finalists in the adult category are: Arlington Daniel, Kibibi Greenidge, Athalia Crump, ZZ Cumberbatch,Johnathan Jordan, MLVP Elite Vox andJaleesa Greaves. While the finalists in the Junior category are: The Cyptones 70 Voices, St. Cyprian’s Boys Band,Shontae Alleyne-Clarke, Christ Church Foundation Steel Orchestra, Nikhyl Burnett, Coleridge & Parry School Choir, Roneisha Alleyne, Skyy Dowridge, Christ The King Boomwhackers, The Ellerslie Choir, Haynesville Youth Club andthe St. Bartholomew Primary School Choir.

The NCF has put many generous prizes and awards up for grabs in both the non-professional adult and junior categories. These are: The Prime Minister’s Scholarship; The James Millington Award of Excellence, The Prime Minister’s Award for the Best Original NIFCA Music Entry, The Founder’s Trophy, the Incentive Award for Outstanding Participation by an Artiste(s) with Disabilities; The Cynthia Wilson NIFCA Producer’s Prize;and The Jackie Opel Award will be awarded for the best locally written, arranged and performed musical selection (any genre).

New awards are: The Emile Straker Award for the best locally written, arranged and performed folk selection; The Business Entrepreneur Prize; the 50th Anniversary of NIFCA Award for the Most Outstanding Presentation in the NIFCA Music 2023 and the Barbados Community College Scholarships in which two scholarships will be offered towards training in the Associate Degree programme in Music to a value of $3 000 each.

Sunday’s Music Finals comes on the heel of a successful season in music which was kicked off by the introduction and rave reviews of the NIFCA Arrangers and Music Performers challenges and the successful launch of the NIFCA Music in the Square: Icon Nights that are staged at Golden Square Freedom Park in The City at 6 p.m. Icon Night began with A Tribute to James Millington on November 3^rd; continues this coming Friday with A Tribute to Jackie Opel and culminates with A Tribute to Sir Emile Straker on November 17^th.

Moore expressed his satisfaction about the number of entrants and performers this season coupled with the virtuosity of submissions to which he credited NIFCA’s contribution to Barbados’ musical landscape over the past half-century.

He added: “The development of NIFCA over the last 50 years is the reason that we are seeing the high quality of entrants and the quality of performances today. Because persons would have invested time over the years entering NIFCA, they probably would have gotten a bronze or not placed, then come back and gotten a higher award. It’s not really about the award it’s about the development, persons are using the competition and the NIFCA showcases to hone their talent and better their craft.”

NIFCA is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023 under the theme “50 Years of Excellence Remembered”. Tickets for the Finals are $30 adults and $15 children age 5 – 12. (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.