Comments on: Sponsors Breakfast Report: PM David “Walks the Walk”

By: kidsite

kidsite — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:28:32 +0000

In reply to Curious.

i ENDORSE your comments…young promoters with innovative ideas would really make the Festival exciting.

By: kidsite

kidsite — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:26:54 +0000

Don’t get me wrong here…the encouragement of private promoters is a great thing; this is the logical direction for Crop Over….but I don’t want to see a situation like Reggae on the Hill where livelihood for foreign acts is maintained while there is virtually no promotion or development of the locals.

Madd Entertainment (kudos to them) have over the last couple years promoted EXCLUSIVELY local talents and others like them should be encouraged but please not mass importation of outsiders at the expense of your locals in a Festival where the locals are promoted heavily.

By: Curious

Curious — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:05:27 +0000

“Example; my involvement working with the NCF coordinating Cavalcades, one year ago would you have guessed that the culturally nefarious Peter Boyce would be the point person for the government’s inaugural Crop Over event? That’s an example of private enterprise being utilized.”
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I think if you observed which way the political wind was blowing that would not have been a bad guess.

“Another Example “Cohobblopot” the premiere revenue generating gem of our national festival, I happen to know NCF is right now reviewing tenders to give out a concession for that event to be done by a private promoter.”
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Is this process being followed for every Crop-Over event that is being outsourced? No spite thing… I’m genuinely curious because 1) I know some young promoters that would like to get a bite at that cherry but ‘dem ent know nobody’ so a request for tender might give them a fighting chance and 2) I did not see/hear of any tenders for the Cavalcades…

By: Ken R. Smith

Ken R. Smith — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:06:06 +0000

Site, I understand what you are saying, but with the exception of Madd entertainment, who else have the balls to come forward and take the risk of undertaking the promoting and running of crop?

How many of our promoters undertake calypso shows, or any other aspects of our culture?

By: kidsite

kidsite — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:31:40 +0000

I endorse the comments of the PM and I must say I felt pleased to hear him say that the Festival should not the Government’s festival but should be the people’s festival.

He also stated that new and upcoming promoters/artistes would always arise to challenge the status quo of the day.

My problem is up to this day in the history of Barbados only one entity has engaged in cultural development/artistic development (albeit a poor job) is the NCF.

Very few private promoters have shown the ability to promote local talent on a broad scale resorting to paying excessive monies to foreign acts.
No entity has emerged with the abilty to DEVELOP local talent on a broad scale.

Encouragement should therefore to facilitate private entities who desire to DEVELOP,PROMOTE and MARKET local talent.

If you are going to encourage private promoters then private developers should be encouraged EVEN MORE.