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

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.