BACA slams censorship after Starcom bans De Announcer calypso

The Barbados Association of Creatives and Artistes (BACA) is denouncing what it calls a dangerous act of censorship following Starcom Network Inc.’s decision to restrict the broadcast of veteran calypsonian Ronnie De Announcer Clarke’s 2025 song National Carol Festival.

 

Clarke is the Programme Director at Starcom.

BACA said despite Clarke writing and performing National Carol Festival in his capacity as an independent calypsonian — not as a company representative — Starcom has treated the song as a breach of internal protocol.
““This is not a matter of internal employment,” said BACA President Sean Apache Carter. “This is a matter of freedom of expression, fairness, and basic respect for our artistes. Ronnie Clarke wrote and performed this song not as an employee, but as a calypsonian, a role he’s held with distinction for decades.”

 

Clarke had another of his songs, Reading for Pleasure, similarly banned by the station in 2019.

In this latest matter, BACA said Starcom has restricted National Carol Festival’s airplay and allegedly placed implied pressure on his professional standing without any formal process or clear justification, although the song was not commissioned, produced, or distributed by Starcom.

 

“What message does this send to other creatives?” Carter asked. “If you work in media or hold a second job, you lose your right to express yourself as a Barbadian? That your livelihood can be threatened for speaking your opinion in song?”

 

The association warned that the ban sets “a troubling precedent” that could discourage other artistes, especially those employed in education, journalism, or government, from freely creating or performing work that might upset powerful interests.

 

BACA was adamant that the calypso is neither libelous nor defamatory, noting that the State-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) continues to air the song as legitimate social commentary.

 

“Whether you like the lyrics or not, free speech cannot be optional,” said Carter. “We don’t protect artistic freedom just when it’s convenient; we protect it especially when it makes us uncomfortable.”

 

BACA has called on Starcom Network to immediately review and reverse the broadcast ban on National Carol Festival, in defence of artistic freedom of expression, and publicly clarify whether the decision was based on any actual legal or policy violation or whether it was made simply to appease an offended client or external influence.

 

“This is not just about De Announcer. It’s about every artiste’s right to speak truth through their craft, without fear, censorship, or retaliation. If one voice is silenced, we all lose ground as a free and democratic society,” Carter said.

 

BACA revealed it wrote to Starcom on July 17 after the station acknowledged receiving an earlier letter dated July 11. The association said it has yet to receive a response to that later letter which challenged the station’s handling of the ban and demanded transparency.