It’s time for NIFCA to regain pride of place

hile our headlines and photos have been dominated by much negative news regarding crime in recent times, the images and stories of young Bajans creatives who participated in this year’s NIFCA Performing Arts Finals offered a glimmer of hope.

 

From all reports, the young performers brought their A-game in all disciplines on stage to packed audiences at the Frank Collymore Hall. Dance, music, theatre arts and multi-disciplined acts, representative of primary and secondary school, youth and social groups, took to the stage to express themselves.

 

There was a heavy emphasis on addressing the current crime situation as well as other relevant topics of concern. They made sure they were seen and heard, much to the delight of arts lovers. Although having a rather low-key start this year, NIFCA continues to exemplify the tradition of excellence.

 

For decades, NIFCA has served our country’s artists and artistes well. NIFCA plays a far more developmental role than Crop Over, the other festival produced by the National Cultural Foundation. On that stage, school choirs, community groups, church groups, budding musicians, aspiring actors, would-be dancers and inmates of Dodds Prisons are all afforded the opportunity to “show wha’ they can do”, quoting the lyrics to the well-known promotional jingle. Some of our country’s best-known actors had their start on NIFCA’s stages.

 

The dance groups are plentiful and the year-long practice and hard work of many are showcased to the wider country in November. Our Bajan dishes and traditional eats also take centre stage at NIFCA. The creative expression of our country’s artists is laid bare for all to see and interpret.

Sadly, even though it has been at the centre of our cultural development, it has not been given the respect or pride of place it deserves.

 

It is a national festival placed strategically during the month of Independence and as such, it aptly carries the name National Independence Festival of Creative Arts. Just weeks before the staging of the finals, there were preliminaries and notifications giving creatives and their tutors/directors little time to prepare. Of note too, is the fact that yet again, there were no semifinals, and the performers went straight from prelims to finals. Calls have been made by creatives for an overhaul and update of the structure and rules as well.

 

Still fresh in our minds is the controversy that marred last year’s golden anniversary celebrations of the festival. Last October, the Christian group Praise Academy of Dance was disqualified by NIFCA judges for allegedly breaching the rules by exceeding “the bounds of good taste” and making defamatory claims. The contention became a part of internal podcasts and forums with people condemning what they called “a threat to free speech”.

 

The theatrical production at the centre of the controversy, Speak Life, was about a 15-year-old girl who was struggling with gender identity and finds her identity in God. After it was disqualified, the principals of the group, led by Marcia Weekes, lodged a complaint with the arbiter as provided for in the competition rules of NIFCA.

 

The most recent development in this controversy was months ago when government Senator Gregory Nicholls stepped down from his role as the NCF arbiter overseeing the proceedings.

 

At the time, we reported Senator Nicholls as saying: “I am no longer the arbiter of NCF having rescinded my decision [in] the matter due to an error made in my correspondence. I made an error in my communication with the legal counsel for Praise Academy where I misstated the capacity in which I was responding to their letter.”

While Senator Nicholls revoked his decision, the group complained that the ruling of the NIFCA judges remained unchanged.

 

While we cannot deny that appealing and challenging results are par for the course in competitions, we also expected that after 50 years, the festival would have adapted to certain societal realities.

The creative space allows creators to touch and explore all topics including the current crime crisis, cost of living, water challenges, education, and yes, gender and sexuality issues.

 

NIFCA producers must go back to giving proper notification months prior to the varying creative communities. The festival should be promoted and marketed with the same vigour, zeal and fierceness as is afforded to Crop Over or the Barbados Food & Rum Festival.

 

We know, to some, NIFCA may not be as glitzy or glamorous as the other two, but its sentimental value intertwined with our Independence and expression as a people is priceless. We also know that our island’s figureheads are not spotted in photos or activities at NIFCA as is the case with Crop Over.

 

In its heyday, the festival was such a success that it attracted title sponsorship from the likes of Cable & Wireless and Scotiabank, among others. Is a push made to seek that level of corporate support? Does NIFCA benefit from a proper national budget? Does it have a separate planning committee so that work continues while Crop Over takes up four months of the year, May-August?

 

After 50 years, there should either be two nights of finals at the Frank Collymore Hall or one night at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium – in terms of capacity for patrons – which would be a clear indication of the festival’s growth.

 

We hope the producers can give a fraction of the time, energy and resources expended to the summer festival, Crop Over, to assist in returning NIFCA to its glory days and beyond.