The vendors complained…

The taxi drivers complained…

The prostitutes complained…

Where was the proliferation of visitors and revenue that had been promised for the world cup?

Who you did not hear from were the promoters.

Several persons staged world class entertainment events in an effort to “cash in” on the promised world cup fever, investing millions of dollars. Instead they ended up all ‘cashed out’ as despite their best efforts many of the shows were not well attended.
While the government boasts of the revenue they collected at Kensington Oval little is said about the multiplicity of entertainment events which flopped as the volume of visitors anticipated did not materialize.

Still the government continues to claim 90’000 visitors came despite the Indian fans that opted out; in fact they increased the arrivals to 93’000. Question is where did the 93’000 people go? they certainly did not go to shows nor did they purchase cds.
It’s like they landed at the ports and disappeared; we should call in Scotland Yard, or at least some one who lives in the Scotland district.

Because I can’t, that’s why!

I stick to what I am good at, Entertainment!

When you see the 1.5 million dollar fiasco made by the government in the staging of the 45 minute World Cup closing ceremony it reminds me of why we should stick to what we are good at.

For a fraction of the cost an impressive event could have been conceptualized by experienced local producers featuring our top local talent.

Did you notice the dearth of experienced promoters on the organising committee? Where were people like Chris Harper, Phil Philips, Chetwin Stewart even young Ronnie Morris who stages the successful Barbados Music Awards. Instead highly paid bureaucrats masquerading as entertainment specialists spent 1.5 million dollars to produce a 45 minute show which is now described by the international media as “farcical” and “incompetent”.

That’s why I am not a dress maker; I would suck at it too!

*NOTE: One of the headlines reviewing the event read “Clowns dance to a loony tune” I wonder if they were referring to our character “Ian the Clown”?

Did you read the paper where they are bringing steel pan men from around the Caribbean for the World Cup closing ceremony at a cost of $600,000 US? That is like, one million two hundred thousand Barbados dollars! I had to write it in words because I can’t write those big numbers.

Each year they claim they can’t give the calypso tents more than $15000 each to participate in our national festival Crop Over and cannot budget to raise Calypsonians prize monies but can source over a million dollars for “foreign” steel pan players for “we” closing ceremony. I will not comment on this further cause next we would not get on the cavalcades.

Are you still getting a fee of $300.00?

Proud Bajan Entertainer Boyce