By
Lincoln Depradine
St.
George’s, February 11, 2011 – Cultural enthusiasts,
including Senator Arley Gill, are encouraging greater collaborative efforts to
help further develop the carnivals of Grenada and Carriacou.
They
have hailed a donation of costumes from the Grenada-based Summercrew to a
Carriacou mas’ band, “The Spirit of Carnival.’’
“I
believe that this gesture would enhance the quality of the Carriacou carnival
product,’’ Sen. Gill, the Junior Minister of Culture, said at the costume
presentation at Club Bananas in St. George’s.
Shanel
Edmund received the donation on behalf of “The Spirit of Carnival’’ at the
presentation and news conference that were attended by Sen. Gill; Grenada
Carnival Committee (GCC) chairman Colin Dowe; Summercrew president Bobby
Steele; and two of his executive members, Meloni Archbald and
Alexandra Otway-Noel. There was also the modeling of a costume by Reisa
Fletcher.
Like
Trinidad and Tobago, the Carriacou carnival is a pre-Lenten festival. It will
be held March 7 and 8 this year.
Ms.
Otway-Noel said Summercrew’s aim, since its formation in 1986, has been the
growth and development of culture.
“In
that vein, Summercrew has decided to extend a hand to Carriacou by way of
donating costumes to help enhance the Carriacou carnival experience,’’ she
said.
Mr.
Steele said his organisation is not only helping to market Carriacou’s
carnival, but also intends to send a delegation to play mas’ in the Sister
Isle.
“This
year, Alex, myself and other members of our executive sat down and decided that
we needed to send a delegation across to Carriacou to partake in their carnival
as well to show that our support is all-round,’’ he said.
“From
today on,’’ Steele pledged, “we’re going to be marketing very heavily carnival
in Carriacou for everybody to come up and enjoy. We will be there with you on
the road, in the fetes; we’re coming.’’
Sen.
Gill said government’s commitment to cultural development in Carriacou has
included strong marketing of the island’s carnival celebrations.
“We
believe that continued marketing in Grenada can result in more and more
Grenadian masqueraders and carnival lovers going to the Sister Isle for
carnival,’’ he said. “I want to use this opportunity, as well, to appeal to
Grenadians to support Carriacou’s carnival and let us go to Carriacou for
carnival.’’
Mr.
Dowe, also appealing for Grenadian participation in Carriacou’s carnival, said
it’s both a “wise’’ economic choice and an opportunity to enjoy a great
cultural festival.
“When
we speak of the economic crunch that we’re all experiencing,’’ Dowe said, “when
we speak about being wise with our monies, it seems fitting for us to spend our
monies in the State of Grenada but not miss out on carnival. And Carriacou
provides that opportunity; Grenada, of course, being the only Caribbean island
with two carnivals, which is something we boast about.’’
The GCC
chairman commended Summercrew on making the EC$8,000 costume donation in
support of the Digicel-sponsored Carriacou carnival. He wants to see similar
exchanges between other mas’ bands.
“While
I congratulate Summercrew on spearheading this collaborative initiative,
I would also like to issue a challenge to other major bands to have this
type of partnership,’’ Mr. Dowe said.
“Because
when we speak of product development, we certainly can’t think merely in terms
of people doing it in isolation. There is need for us to lend a helping hand to
those who might be a little bit behind us, not for lack of ideas, but quite
often for the lack of resources.’’
Collaboration
and assistance could lead to more people playing fancy mas’ and a better
quality product on the street, Mr. Dowe added.
The
promotion of Carriacou’s carnival continues with the playing of calypsoes on
Grenadian radio stations, as well as through websites such as partygrenada.com.
Photo
#1 (left – right): Meloni Archbald, Bobby Steele, Shanel Edmund, Alexandra
Otway-Noel, Sen. Arley Gill, Reisa Fletcher and Colin Dowe.
Photo
#2 (left – right): Shanel Edmund, Alexandra Otway-Noel and Sen. Arley Gill
Photos
by Nazim Benjamin
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