Culture

NIFCA Gala to celebrate 50 years of excellence

After several weeks of exciting, intense and thought-provoking displays of talent, the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) climaxes with a grand celebration of 50 years at Sunday’s NIFCA Performing Arts Gala: Barabajan.

The grand finale, will showcase some award-winning pieces from the best of the best and a theatrical presentation. The marque event, a production of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), promises to be a night of excellence that will thoroughly entertain Barbadians of all ages when it comes off at the Wildey Gymnasium, Garfield Sobers Sports Complex beginning at 6 p.m.

Producer of the Gala, NCF Theatre Arts Officer Janelle Mitchell expressed pride about the caliber of the programme and the line-up of acts. The Gala, which is celebrating NIFCA’s 50^th anniversary, will be executed in two parts.

The first half is titled: 50 Years of Excellence and will highlight a cadre of the top award-winning pieces from over the festival’s 50 years in Dance, Music, Spoken Word, Literary Arts, and mixed disciplines. Expected to wow are the likes of: The Most Honourable Anthony ‘Gabby’ Carter, Winston Farrell, Adrian Green, Yolande Capandeguy, Jennifer Walker, Dancin’ Africa, Cherie Jones, the Pinelands Creative Workshop and some of this season’s showstoppers.

The second half is called Barabajan, and is a full theatrical presentation celebrating the late Barbadian literary giant, Kamau Brathwaite’s work.

The artistic director is Cecily Spencer-Cross, Levi King is the director; Musical Director – Lowrey Worrell, Director of Choreography – Olivia Hall and the Set Designer is Mark Maynard. The cast of talented actors are: Yolanda Capandeguy, Sonia Williams, Janine White, Jennifer Walker, Neil Waithe, Ayele Matthias and Mikhail Prescod.

Inviting the public’s support, Mitchell said that based on the level of talent displayed throughout the NIFCA season, patrons can be assured of immense brilliance on Sunday evening.

“This year we saw a lot of thought-provoking pieces really looking at our culture, mental health, how we process our emotions – that came out of all the Performing Arts whether that was Music, Dance or Theatre.

“So, I really think that COVID impacted our creativity and it allowed those who maybe never thought about performing to explore their submerged talents. Hence, we saw a lot of first timers entering. . . and it was very good to see them, as well as seasoned persons, coming out to showcase high levels of talent again,” she said.

Reflecting on NIFCA’s 50 years of excellence, Mitchell argued that the festival’s role in the Barbadian landscape cannot be overstated and she believes that it augurs well for NIFCA and the island’s future into another 50 years.

She said: “Where we are heading as we look to include digital media and all these other avenues, it speaks to the development of the arts and where we can head from now.

“This year is very nostalgic; some of everybody has a NIFCA story and this is what is making the festival even more seminal. I think that NIFCA has been extremely pivotal in shaping our creative artists in all the Performing Arts and other disciplines over the 50 years. Indeed, it has helped to shape our national identify,” Mitchell added.

This year several new top awards were introduced across the genres of the NIFCA Performing Arts, these include: The Emile Straker Award for the best locally written, arranged and performed folk selection; The NIFCA Earl Warner Prize; The Alfred Pragnell Challenge Shield for Acting; The Gene Carson Award of Excellence for the highest scoring Junior entry achieving a score of 91% or greater in NIFCA Dance Finals; the Barbados Community College Scholarships, along with the 50^th Anniversary of NIFCA Awards. (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.