BACA head: Bring back national soca competition

Though hailed the 2025 Crop Over season as a success, President of the Barbados Association of Creatives and Artistes (BACA), Sean Apache Carter has renewed calls for the revival of a national soca competition.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY, Carter noted that this year’s festival effectively showcased both emerging and veteran talent across the cultural landscape.

“I think it was a good year; even from the start of the festival with the Sweet Limes, I think that was pretty balanced with young talent as well as experienced talent,” he said. “You would see coming all the way down to the [[Pic-O-De-Crop finals, they had a nice balance in the finals with a mixture of a few first-timers, but generally younger artistes as well as the more experienced artistes.”

However, he acknowledged growing demands from the creative community and the public for the return of a Soca Monarch-style competition, especially given the popularity of several soca tracks this season. Carter emphasised that such an event remains crucial for the development of soca artistes.

He also noted persistent calls from calypsonians, both within BACA and the wider fraternity, for the reinstatement of a Pic-O-De-Crop semifinals stage.

Carter saw an urgent need for a Soca Monarch competition, pointing out that the island is “probably the only one in the Caribbean” without one.

Looking ahead, Carter expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming CARIFESTA, describing it as a vital platform for regional cultural exchange. He anticipates not only musical, dance and dramatic performances but also showcases of Caribbean fashion and cuisine.

Beyond Crop Over, he observed a trend of private-sector events extending into Independence celebrations in November, enriching the cultural calendar.

“Why I look forward to the Independence celebrations and things like NIFCA is because it spots the light on a variety of other genres and on a number of other creatives,” he said. 

“You get to hear more spoken word artistes, you get to see the cultural side as it relates to dance, the dramatic presentations that come forth into NIFCA, but for a long time, the only thing you had to look forward to was NIFCA.”

Carter revealed that BACA plans to contribute to this expansion with its inaugural extempo competition, now slated for November, to link up with Independence festivities. Historically, extempo contests feature improvised lyrics on a given theme, blending wit, social commentary and artistic flair. 

(SB)