Big things happening

This weekend heralds the reign of the merry monarch, King Carnival. From tonight, Vincy Mas kicks into even higher gear with the staging of the prestigious show which attracts beauty and talent from across the English and Spanish speaking Caribbean in the Miss Carival Show. This is a show that has tremendous potential for marketing St. Vincent and the Grenadines and has yet to be exploited to the fullest. We know that the hardworking members of the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC) must be analyzing where they go next with this show, which is into its 20th year.{{more}}

This carnival has seen the continuation of a remarkable trend in the production of music produced and recorded right here on home soil. It is amazing that whilst yesteryear we saw our artistes going abroad to record, now we have some of our best flying in from New York to record with local arrangers and at local studios. The nest that gave birth to Kevin Lyttle’s monster hit Turn Me On is still warm and there are many other hatchlings making joyful noises on the airwaves and in the nightclubs at home. Soon the rest of the world will stand up and recognize that the Vincy Sound has come of age. It is only left for us to get our marketing together and begin to really promote Vincy Music compilations across the world.

This year has seen, once again a burst of creativity reflected in the intricate designs and range of colours, which will hit the streets of Kingstown come Monday and Tuesday. Our designers have been sharing their craft with our brothers in St. Lucia and in the Leeward Islands. But they leave no stone unturned when it comes to creating designs for the home market. It is a yearly ritual that those who have never been intimately involved in this unique festival of arts will not fathom easily.

One other very encouraging aspect of this year’s festivity has been the attention being shown to pan, and in particular the junior pannists. Cable &Wireless and the Youlou Pan Movement had struggled together for years keeping the hope for a resurgence of pan alive. It was good to see this year that the East Caribbean Group of Companies and VINLEC have teamed up to stage the weekly Sunday concerts. These provided a good clean family oriented environment where the youngsters could showcase their newly acquired skills for their parents and the general public to appreciate. This was all capped with the Cable &Wireless junior Panorama which ended Thursday going back to the Victoria Park. A bold move for an event which attracts still too few persons. This though is an indication of the positive outlook for the future of pan, secured in the hands of many young talented pannists.

In kaiso there has been a struggle this year. The tent action was a disappointment but there emerged a bright spark in the Upstage Xperience Tent which reintroduced some serious professionalism to the art form. We hope the organizers persevere and continue next year. The brighter spark still was the entry of the younger generation of creative performers who are destined to change the way kaiso is approached here, even though the older heads will be dragged along kicking and screaming.

The jury is still out on the earnings from this year’s festival but our Department of Tourism and Culture will be satisfied that we are making strides.

Indeed, big things happening in this land so small.