#BTEditorial – They want to see a Crop Over 2022

After a weekend of exciting cricket staged before a festive crowd, and given that a week prior there were about three major entertainment activities linked to the recently-concluded general elections, those who earn a living from staging events want to see a Crop Over 2022.

While there has been no official word yet on the staging of a festival this year, in a report carried in Barbados TODAY earlier this week President of the Barbados Association of Masqueraders (BAM), Anthony Layne acknowledged that it would be challenging for bandleaders to plan for August as preparations usually begin well before February. Nonetheless, he said BAM’s members, representing the vast majority of Kadooment bands, are willing to try.

However, he warned that time was quickly running out for a final decision to be made.

“So, basically, we are just waiting to see how things will go or what will be the word from the NCF [National Cultural Foundation], or Government through the NCF. We are waiting to see what is going to happen because we need to know like now, because it’s kind of late. But if we were given the go-ahead right now, we can still get something done for the first Monday in August. However, we wouldn’t want it to run or to have to wait until down in March or April to get the go-ahead on whether it will happen or not,” Layne said.

President of the Entertainers Association of Barbados, Rudy Maloney was also hopeful that after all that had happened in recent weeks, a Crop Over Festival is possible.

“I think what is good for the goose should be good for the gander. We will always say that safety is first and we will always go by what the medical people tell us. But we are seeing it happening all around, so I believe that at some stage we need to get a little more freedom in the entertainment industry,” Maloney said.

They are not alone.

The tens of thousands who patronise the national festival want to see a Crop Over 2022. Every street vendor, food vendor, craft vendor, and small business person who benefits from sales wants to see a Crop Over 2022. The performing artistes, visual artists, music makers and cultural practitioners want to see Crop Over 2022. Sponsors, although with limited cash, want to invest in Crop Over 2022. The hotel and tourism sector wants to see a Crop Over 2022. The Bajan Yankees and tourists want to see Crop Over 2022. The local economy wants to see a Crop Over 2022.

But some will argue, and rightly so, that we don’t want the highly-contagious COVID-19 virus to see a Crop Over.

And, therein lies the biggest challenge for the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture and the NCF.

In a story we published on Tuesday, highly-placed Government sources said that while there has been much speculation about the annual festival, a final decision cannot be taken lightly. We agree wholeheartedly.

“A critical player in Crop Over 2022 and beyond is the Ministry of Health. We are speaking about a festival that attracts thousands of people. We are not dragging our feet, we are not being over-hasty, we are being careful, critical, and responsible,” the source said.

NCF’s Chief Executive Officer Carol Roberts-Reifer echoed a similar sentiment.

“I want to assure the public and stakeholders included that the Crop Over Festival and how it can be produced creatively and as safely as possible has occupied the attention of the NCF since the advent of COVID. When we have fully fleshed out a programme that I am confident that we can stand behind and promote as an innovative calendar of events, the NCF will come to the public, after consultation with stakeholders, and say this is what we are collectively proposing.”

There is no doubt that the health and safety of all must take priority. But, the reality is, the safe staging of the festival does not lie with Government alone. Yes, the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit may increase personnel over that period in order to keep a keen eye on things, but ultimately each of us must take full responsibility for our own health and safety if we choose to venture out.

When level heads prevail we can all agree that the Crop Over Festival is an important part of our heritage and cultural identity. Culture is what makes a people unique. Their norms and practices all form part of this identity. Crop Over is born out of the celebratory festivities dating back centuries when our ancestors, slaves, looked forward to it every year; where after toiling in the cane field year round they would have ceremonial activities to bless the “last canes”, enjoy fellowship and give thanks. The tradition is as rich as it is meaningful. The reason it is preserved is linked directly to our heritage. Now in its 48th year of existence as a national festival, we strongly believe that Crop Over, “the sweetest summer festival”, must go on.