Culture

Stage set for epic kaiso battle on Friday

Four former monarchs to rock Botanical after the competition

As the crescendo of Crop Over’s golden anniversary reaches its kaiso zenith, the stage is set for this year’s highly-anticipated Courtesy Garage Pic-O-De-Crop Final.

The island’s premier calypso showdown promises electrifying performances and fierce rivalry as 17 contenders vie to dethrone reigning monarch Ian iWeb Webster when the competition comes off this Friday, August 2, at the National Botanical Gardens.

For months, Barbados’ top calypsonians have been perfecting their craft, preparing for this moment. They have delivered standout performances during the season, presenting well-crafted songs that resonate with powerful messages, sharp humour and poignant observations. However, the journey to calypso supremacy will be no easy feat, as iWeb is expected to vigorously fight to retain the coveted crown and the finalists.

The finalists comprise a mix of past Pic-O-De-Crop monarchs in Kid Site and AC, four former Junior Monarch winners namely Sir Ruel, Sammy G, Grateful Co (formerly Coco) and Tae; first timers including the first visually impaired person Mr. Deejay and Trinity; as well as perennial finalists.

The order of appearance is as follow:

The finalists include past Pic-O-De-Crop monarchs Kid Site and AC; former Junior Monarch winners Sir Ruel, Sammy G, Grateful Co (formerly Coco), and Tae, first-time participants the first visual impaired contender Mr. Deejay along with Trinity, and perennial finalists. The order of appearance is as follows:

1. Granville Mr. Deejay Carter

2. David Kid Site Piggott

3. Samantha Sammy G Greaves

4. Chrystal Cummins-Beckles-Holder

5. Colin Spencer

6. Chad Sir Ruel Bowen

7. Darin Holder

8. Eric Lewis

9. Sammy Sammy Dello Odle

10. Rico Grateful Co Gaskin

11. John Yarde

12. Paul Billboard Murrell

13. Trinity Trinity Clarke

14. Shontae Tae Alleyne-Clarke

15. Ian iWeb Webster

16. Adrian AC Clarke

17. Shondell Imara Jahbari

18. Geoffrey Biggie Irie Cordle

Former monarch Dequon Quon Alleyne is the reserve.

Apart from the line-up, at the end of the competition patrons will be treated to a trip down memory lane by four former monarchs.

While the results are being tabulated, songs of Pic O De Crop past will be performed by: The Most Honourable Anthony Gabby Carter, who won in 1968 and six times since them; the 1976 Monarch Destroyer; The Most Honourable Stetson RPB Wiltshire who has won the most titles – 10 times, and the 1995 kaiso king Edwin Yearwood – the island’s lone triple-crown monarch.

National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Chief Executive Officer Carol Roberts highlighted the palpable excitement surrounding this year’s calypso competition as she congratulated the finalists and all the calypso tents that pitched. Additionally, Roberts conveyed her gratitude to the judges and coordinators for their invaluable contributions.

For the generosity of the sponsors — including Courtesy Garage, which returned as title sponsor, Cooperators General Insurance, and Sol Barbados Ltd., the newest addition — the CEO extended her heartfelt gratitude. She acknowledged that the Pic-O-De-Crop Finals and other festival events would not be possible without their support.

“This competition is extremely important to the preservation of those intangible cultural aspects of our Crop Over Festival. . . . Like no other competition or other event, it gives us a capsule of the issues and the personalities of the day creatively expressed by our musical griots – the calypsonians. And that is one aspect of the festival that the Foundation continues to pledge to preserve for as long as we are producing this festival,” Roberts stressed.

Regional Product Manager of Courtesy Garage, Samuel Gaston, affirmed his company’s commitment not only to the Pic-O-De-Crop Final but also to other aspects of the Festival. He explained that Courtesy’s support aims to enhance and enrich.

To the finalists, Gaston offered his congratulations for reaching the Big Yard. And emphasised that, although only one individual will be crowned the winner, each finalist is a winner in their own right due to their contributions to the festival, which should not be diminished by the final result.

The 2024 champion of the Courtesy Garage Pic-O-De-Crop Final will have the option of driving away in a 2024 Nissan E Power X-Trail valued at $136,000 or taking $100,000 in cash. If the vehicle is chosen, the winner gets $5 000 in insurance from Cooperators General Insurance and $1 000 in fuel vouchers, thanks to SOL.

The second-place finisher will be awarded $40,000, the third-place will receive $20,000, and the fourth-place will take home $15,000. The individual in fifth place will be granted $10,000. Positions sixth through tenth will each earn $8,000, and those placing eleventh through nineteenth will receive $6,000. Additionally, an appearance fee of $1,500 will be paid to each contestant.

Admission for the Courtesy Garage Pic-O-De-Crop Final are $40 and $50 at the door.

Tickets are available online on TicketPal.com and at the National Cultural Foundation, Lucky Horseshoe Warrens and Worthing, Abbeville Rockley, NU Look and CS Pharmacy Bridgetown, Emerald City Six Roads, Carlton Supermarket Black Rock, A&B Music Supplies Wildey, SmartStore Limegrove and Welches and Ah Touch of Class Lanterns Mall. (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.