Culture

NIFCA Challenges highlights musical creativity

The newly introduced National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) Arrangers and Music Performers challenges have been lauded as a vehicle for the continuity of Barbados’ strength of the musical landscape locally and abroad.

The challenges, which seek to introduce new and competent arrangers to Barbadians as well as more fledging solo instrumentalists, are quickly gaining interest.

Thus far, out of a total of nine entries in the Arrangers Challenge, Marlon Legall and the Marlon Legall Voice Project copped the top prize in the NIFCA Music Arranger’s Challenge with a moving arrangement to the Mighty Gabby’s classic, Emmerton.

Gary Goodridge placed second for his arrangement of Da Coa Coa Tea and Mylon Clarke, who placed third, also arranged Da Coa Coa Tea. Other participants were: Christopher Sayers, Daniel Boxill, Erin Hazlewood, James Clarke, Judah Goddard and Lizzy & Manny.

National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Cultural Officer of Music Organisation, Aisha Butcher, was pleased with the public response to the initiatives. Butcher, who was the brainchild of the challenges, explained that they came about as a result of the need to widen the pool of potential arrangers and solo instrumentalists.

What she realised was that while the talent was there, a lot of the musicians did not have a specific opportunity to showcase it or have the confidence to let it be heard. Knowing this was a deficit, an exciting challenge was devised to put them at the forefront. In keeping with the objective of celebrating Barbados, the music had to have a Barbadian element.

“It’s not just about the challenge it is about filling a deficit in Barbados, where we are not seeing a lot of arrangers and we hear some of the same names that we know, because we are on the ground, we know the talent is out there.

“Coming out of this, the aim is to have more workshops, more opportunities to hear their work being displayed on national stages. Just get their names out there so that we have more arrangers with varying styles to choose from.

“It also augurs well for the Barbados Community College music program as well as the University of the West Indies because they have specific classes geared towards these areas. When it comes to arranging you don’t just arrange for class anymore, you could let it translate into real life,” the Cultural Officer said.

On the other hand, the NIFCA Music Performer’s Challenge is made up of four challenges where contestants are given five days to learn and replicate a specific part of the weekly challenge song by a well-known and celebrated musician.

The first challenge was won by Keelan Richards who played educator and songwriter Andre Woodvine’s solo in the John King and Alison Hinds duet Hold You in a Song.

Challenge #2 went to Daniel Harvey for his interpretation of a segment of world-renowned Saxophonist Arturo Tappin’s hit, Breaking Up and Kaylee Allman’s delivery of Romaro Greaves’ solo in Farmer Nappy’s Big People Party took the top spot in Challenge #3. For Challenge #4, which was announced on Sunday, participants will have to reproduce the published clip of Nicholas Brancker’s Nicalypso.

In addition to $500 prize money, each winner wins an invaluable one-on-one mentorship session with the original soloist.

Butcher stressed that while the NIFCA Performing Arts competition is still popular, this year they wanted to look more at the technical stuff and also zero in on solo instrumentalists. Hence, an opportunity for them to continue working on their craft and also expose them to local high-quality musicians through the NIFCA Music Performers Challenge was thought as necessary.

“When it comes to the Performers Challenge, we are pleased with their technical level and ability to be able to execute in a short timeframe as well. And not only just getting the pitches correct, but the lengths, phrasing, and encapsulating the tone, and the feel of the solo and being able to put that out.

These are songs that for some of them, they don’t regularly listen to, so to be able to pick up all of these nuances is very telling of where we are in terms of technical ability. And only one person can enter one challenge, so it is not this repeated person winning, so we are seeing different faces popping up with the same technical ability. We are pleased to know that that is what’s happening on the outside and want to give them opportunities to go further with their training and development,” Butcher added. (PR)

Culture

Clarification Of Investment Target For We Gatherin’ 2025

As the We Gatherin’ initiative continues in full stride, we take this time to thank those members of corporate Barbados who have committed to helping us reach our target of $5,000,000 (five million) in support and investment, whether cash or in kind.

So far, we have secured $500,000 from businesses across the island, and we continue to encourage other private sector entities to contribute to this historical initiative, that not only brings our society closer together but that will provide much needed assistance to programs that will benefit our youth, helping to steer us through troubled times to a better, more peaceful and prosperous Barbados for all.

After the recently concluded church service at St. Anne’s Church in St. Joseph, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight was keen to speak on the progress towards reaching this target.

“During my address, I inadvertently mentioned a figure of $5 million in private sector donations. That number reflects our aspirational goal, not the current reality. To clarify, we have presently secured $500,000 in contributions toward this initiative. We remain deeply grateful for the support received thus far and continue to encourage additional private sector partners to join us in this important national effort.”

We Gatherin’ 2025 continues with events and activities in St. Joseph for the month of April and moving on to St. John in May. (PR/GIS)

Culture

We Gatherin’ Activities Launched In Boston Over The Weekend

The spirit of Barbados was alive last Saturday, March 22, as the Consulate General of Barbados in New York, in partnership with the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), officially launched the ‘We Gatherin’ 2025 series in Boston.

According to Consul General Lorenzo Harewood, the event, held at the Sorrel and Lime place, was a spectacular showcase of Barbadian culture, bringing together scores of Barbadians and friends of Barbados for an unforgettable experience.

“Attendees were immersed in the rich sights, sounds, and flavours of the island, enjoying pulsating local music, mouthwatering Bajan cuisine, and a vibrant marketplace filled with stalls owned by Barbadian entrepreneurs,” he said.

He noted that from handcrafted souvenirs to locally made products, the event provided a platform for businesses to connect with the diaspora and promote authentic Barbadian goods.

The Consul General said that the energy in the room was electric as Barbadians, young and old, reunited with friends, made new connections, and celebrated their shared heritage.

A major highlight of the evening was the exciting giveaways, including exclusive discounted travel packages and the grand prize won by Carson Straughn – a trip for two to Barbados. The winners were thrilled at the chance to visit their homeland and immerse themselves in all that the island has to offer.

Mr. Harewood stated that the successful launch marked the beginning of what promises to be an exhilarating ‘We Gatherin’ 2025’ series.

“With overwhelming support and enthusiasm from attendees, the celebrations are set to continue in Connecticut, and Philadelphia, and culminate in a grand finale in New York throughout April and May. Many attendees have pledged to follow the journey, eager to experience more of the warmth, culture, and togetherness that define the Barbadian spirit,” he remarked.

The Consul General added: “The partnership between the Consulate and BTMI underscores a shared commitment to strengthening connections between Barbados and its diaspora while promoting the island as a premier destination for both leisure and business.

“As the excitement builds, Barbadians across generations are encouraged to join the movement, return home, and take part in the national festivals and activities happening throughout 2025.”

During the event, a brief intermission provided an opportunity to recognise outstanding professional achievements. Mr. Harewood took to the stage to present the prestigious Professional Achievement Award to Professor Cardinal Warde, a distinguished faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Professor Warde is widely regarded as a leading expert in optical information processing and display technologies. His extensive contributions to the field include over 150 technical papers, co-editorship of a book, and co-authorship of three book chapters on optical materials and devices.

Beyond academia, his innovative work is reflected in 12 patents related to spatial light modulators, displays, and optical information processing systems, solidifying his influence in advancing cutting-edge optical technologies. (PR/GIS)

Culture

Season Of Emancipation Must Grow Beyond “A Set Date Of Activities”

Minister with responsibility for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight, is suggesting that the Season of Emancipation (SOE) moves beyond the commemoration of a “set of dates of activities”.

In fact, she believes that the time has come for the successes of the celebrations to be consolidated to create a larger footprint that resonates with Barbadians on a larger scale.

Senator Munro-Knight expressed this view during the 2025 Season of Emancipation media launch at the Rock Hall Freedom Village, St. Thomas.

The Minister told the gathering that the Ministry engaged in “a period of reflection” after the hosting of each Season of Emancipation activities through the lens of the Ministry’s internal critique, public opinion where applicable, and that of its stakeholders.

“And that reflection has said a couple of things to us, one, that the Season of Emancipation needs to move beyond a commemoration of a set of dates of activities to grounding that understanding of that intersection again with the past, now and future within communities and within the wider Barbadian psyche…. We need to move beyond the chorus of those of us who understand, those of us who are enthused, those of us who have already embraced the notion of emancipation and that journey and what it means…. Like I said before, embracing the wider Barbadian [public] and bringing them into the discourse and to the full understanding,” Senator Munro-Knight proffered.

She continued: “Our reflection on the Season of Emancipation also says to us that we need to create scale, that while we have done a number of things that have been good on their own, a number of activities that have been good on their own, that we need to make sure that we can now consolidate on those efforts that have been successful by creating a larger footprint, and then again, as I said, engaging more Barbadians.”

The Minister maintained that this year’s activities would see a “more concentrated effort and not just public relations” but educational awareness that involved a mix of competitions, docudramas, and other activities to lift the Season of Emancipation to a higher level of engagement.

A highlight of this year’s activities Dr. Munro-Knight said will be a partnership with Duke University in the United States of America on a project to immerse the bust of King Cuffie at sea in Speightstown, St. Peter. The bust will be removed one year later from the date, as an act of reconnecting with the past.

Meanwhile, Programme Advisor for Reparations and Economic Enfranchisement in the Prime Minister’s Office, Rodney Grant, gave an overview of the activities for the season, which runs from April 14 to August 27.

Mr. Grant said the public must never take the sacrifices of our ancestors for granted as we reflect on our journey to emancipation.

“Our ancestors never had free will. They could not choose when they wanted to eat, when they wanted to work, when they wanted to get up, when they wanted to go sleep, and we now, today, take this free will for granted. They died, suffered; they were burnt to death because they fought for us today to have freedom to do the things that we see are necessary and the things that we enjoy…. We should not take freedom for granted.”

Mr. Grant noted that emancipation and freedom were processes that were not yet over and it was “incumbent on all of us to continue to fight for emancipation”. (PR/GIS)