#BTSpeakingOut – Two positive decisions by the NCF

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

The two recent announcements by the National Cultural Foundation are positive developments for the cultural industry in Barbados.

The one which relates to the reinstatement of the original Grand Kadooment parade route is a positive one. Not only for the revellers, spectators, service providers and persons who ply their various trades along the route but it’s important for our tourism industry. The route which ends on the Mighty Grynner Highway, with the sea and beach, is one of the most unique sites. No other Caribbean festival has anything like it. I never understood why we would want to change that. I accept that there was concern over the spread of COVID-19 last year and hence that was why it was done, but this unique feature should be kept and also used in the festival’s promotion. The
area should also be developed and landscaped as a cultural village.

The second one relates to the Soca Monarch competition being scrapped. Again, I never understood why we would have wanted to start another competition. This is not how the music industry works. Competition of this kind stifles creativity. We should be encouraging our creatives to produce material that has a broader appeal worldwide. At this stage of our development, we should be focusing on producing and making things that can be sold on the international market. That applies not only to music, but to everything that we do. 

I have always maintained that the Caribbean island that has the most successful music industry is Jamaica. When one examines their industry, the first thing that stands out is that their artistes never competed in a structured competition. Their competition was to produce music that the public would judge by popularity and record sales. They were never forced to create a hit every year. This allowed the freedom for creativity. 

It’s ironic that in the early days of our recording industry, we had the same thing happening in Barbados. We were producing music that was released and sold all year long. We too had that scenario where music was judged in the same way, hence the development of Spouge, etc., and the many bands and writers of that time. There is nothing wrong with the Pic-O-De Crop calypso competition, as it is part of our culture. Unfortunately, it became the mainstay of our industry and the additional competitions destroyed the development of year-round music and we ended up where we are with one season of one genre of music. 

It has been mentioned already that some of the songs that got international recognition either did not do well in competition here or were not part of it at all. 

I hope this helps to convince those who don’t agree with cancelling this competition that it is needed to rekindle the stagnant music industry that we have today. 

One final point, the time has come for a proper assessment of the contribution that all aspects of the cultural and entertainment industry make to the Gross Domestic Product of Barbados. The industry has to be taken more seriously and be the recipient of incentives, like the hotel industry. The recent pandemic really brought that to light.

Norman Barrow