Culture

Junior Masquerade Project to hit the road Saturday

For Crop Over to celebrate 50 more years, the preservation of its culture through Barbadian youth must be prioritised. This was the shared sentiment at the official launch of the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust Junior Masquerade Project In Association With Abed’s held at the Erdiston Special School.

The project spearheaded by the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), now in its 22nd year, brings the culture of costume-making and masquerading to children throughout various schools and community groups across the island. There, they learn the process of bringing their creative ideas alive through costume and performance.

Last year, the initiative reached 750 children. This year, it is on track to reaching 1000 children if each of the bands are able to reach their targets. Participants will face the judges at Junior Kadooment on Saturday as a key component of this year’s event.

“A total of $48,000 in prizes are up for grabs. It’s really shaping up to be an exciting year!” said NCF’s Chief Cultural Officer Andrea Wells.

This year, the project involves students from 10 schools and three community groups.

These schools and community groups will be part of Saturday’s Junior Kadooment. They are:Eagle Hall Primary, Ellerton Primary, Wesley Hall Infants, Grantley Adams Memorial, Pinelands Creative Workshop, Selah Primary, Hindsbury Primary, Arthur Smith Primary, Haynesville Youth Club, Shirley Chisholm Primary, Roland Edwards Primary, Erdiston Special School and Weston United Stars Community Club.

One of the institutions participating is the Erdiston Special School- which caters to students with, but not limited to, down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, communication disorders and other disabilities.

The school’s principal, Donna Holder, was over the moon at their involvement.

“This year we embarked on an awareness and sensitisation campaign. This was done by highlighting our students on Down Syndrome Awareness day with Rock your socks, Autism Awareness day and events such as NAPSAC (National Primary Schools Athletic Championship) – to which we sent a team,” she said.

“Therefore, you can imagine when we got the call from the NCF extending an invitation to participate in Junior Kadooment, our hearts were delighted…We playing mas this year!”, she said.

Wells expressed her gratitude to the programme’s sponsors – Sandy Lane Charitable Trust and Abed’s – for their contributions.

“What is to be commended also is that both of these corporate partners are on board for the culmination of the project. Not just for the training but for the celebration at Junior Kadooment,” she said.

Title sponsor, Sandy Lane Charitable Trust (SCLT), agreed, too, and showed their faith in the initiative with a donation of $50,000.

“We all stand here with one common goal. Improving the lives of Barbadian children,” said Nekei Grant, Project Coordinator of the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust.

“We’re truly honoured to partner with the NCF, a well-established organisation in Barbadian community and culture. We are honoured to fix our name to programmes that are well structured, that empower and support both the personal and professional advancement of our youth, and finally were honoured to play a small role in sustaining the future of cultural development here in Barbados.”

Along with title sponsorship of the Junior Masquerade Project, the ‘small charity with a big heart’ also contributed to the NCF’s youth volunteer programme.

It was a no-brainer for Nikita Abed-Chaplen, Brand Director of Abed’s, who spoke about the $20 000 sponsorship and the retailer’s relationship with the NCF.

“As a business, Abed’s is committed to supporting local creatives and the wider community and this Junior Masquerade Project is an incredible platform to do this. We are proud to support teaching children the techniques and skills involved in costume making; fabric selection, sewing, designing and decorating. All while fostering creativity and teamwork and collaboration as they work together to create their costumes for Junior Kadooment,” she explained

Along with the cash contributions, participants in the project will receive priceless guidance from coordinators Suzanne Phillips and Teila Williams. (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)