“An eerie silence” that is how the current calm non contentious Crop Over we have been having so far was describe in the Nation newspaper this week. The writer of the letter was a man called Larry Tull.

Its amazing that a word like eerie should be used to describe what really is a desirable situation.
Let’s look at some other pertinent points which were made in that letter that I would like to address.
Larry asked two very valid questions,

1 How is it that the tent managers association Batman who for years caused controversy every Crop Over asking for increases to the tent subvention is not requesting a a hike this year and making a big stink to get it.

2 How come now Peter Boyce Company coordinating Cavalcades they are no longer a problem when before the same Boyce asked for Cavalcades to be discontinued because they affected the tents.

Point 1; I cannot address as that speaks directly to the Barbados Association of Tent Managers (Batman) and I am not authorized to articulate on their behalf.

Response to 2; this is a good point Larry made and a valid question, this I can address.
I do not recall saying Cavalcades should be discontinued, my position was that when the tents opened Cavalcades being a free event would have a negative effect on the patronage of the tents.
Notice how ever the Cavalcades started on 9th May and finish on 14th June, most tents open around mid to the ending of June hence they would be not be affected.

Under the previous administration the Cavalcades had all sort of underlying objectives, they wanted to judge calypsonians they insisted that people to do new music ONLY. Those objectives sought to infringed on activities that were exclusively the domain of tents and would have threatened their existence.
I was at a meeting this year where some ass attempted to present that position that Cavalcades should be used to judge calypsonians for Party Monarch and I opposed it because my position remained that should be left exclusively to the tents.

On the new music issue, I always thought that the previous administration was shooting themselves in their foot insisting that persons on Cavalcades MUST do new songs.
Yes if your song 2008 song is ready we want you to perform it other wise do one of your old hits. Bajans love their old music the overwhelming success of the St lucy Vintage Back in Time Cavalcade is evidence of that.
The Banks Cable and Wireless Cavalcades 2008 have been successful because they have been utilizing effective new music AND old music as well.
The purpose of the Cavalcades is to set the correct ambiance and get the people in the mood for Crop Over 2008 so that when the tents open people would be more motivated to attend them.
In closing let us hope the contented calm that Larry describes as an eerie silence continues until then Boyce Voice will fade to exactly that….    An eerie silence…….

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