BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – CULTURAMA Chairman Halstead ‘Sooty’ Byron said that the recently-crowned Culturama Kaiso King, Dis N Dat, is a very good calypsonian but does not seem to be able to separate culture from politics.
Addressing the issue of why the calypsonian was not allowed as customary to participate in the Leeward Islands Calypso Competition held on August 11, Byron said that based on his actions from the past the Culturama Committee feels he is not the best person to represent Nevis in any competition.
Byron said that Dis N Dat, whose real name is Keith Scarborough, is also a politician and that when he won the crown in 2007, during the parade he did something for which he never showed remorse.
“He was supposed to parade in the Street Parade in his Culturama attire. He went in a costume and in the middle of the parade he changed into his party political garb, which was a breach of everything to do with Culturama. So we decided at that time he wasn’t going to represent the country nor the Committee in Anguilla.
“Somehow he got to Anguilla. We didn’t communicate with Anguilla that he would not be representing us, and he went on his own. He has never shown any remorse about that…he felt as though he did nothing wrong,” Byron said.
The Culturama Chairman said that Scarborough was crowned again this year and has since never apologised for his actions.
“He is not the best person to present Nevis Culturama Committee in any competition or in any way outside of Nevis, and we decided to communicate with Anguilla this time and let them know we wouldn’t be sending a representative,” he said.
Many Nevisians were disappointed when they learnt that their newly-crowned Culturama Monarch, Dis N Dat, would not be participating in the Leeward Islands Calypso Competition.
Manager of the Festivals Secretariat Antonio ‘Abonatty’ Liburd said that he was given a directive from the Chairman, which he carried out and was unaware of the reason why Scarborough would not participate in the competition.
“No reasons were given. An email was sent to the organisers in Anguilla in response to his invitation and the response said that Nevis will not be participating. That email was copied to me, then I received a telephone call indicating that I should inform the competitor that Nevis would not be entering the competition,” he said.
Scarborough said that he won the competition fair and square and, as customary, he was supposed to travel to represent Nevis in the competition.
He told SKNVibes that after he won he was congratulated by the Ministry of Culture, Hensley Daniel, but said that sometime after he honestly believes that the opposing supporters (NRP) got to them and motivated the decision.
The nine-time crowned calypsonian said that Daniel stated publicly that “it was embarrassing and that he was 'dissing' the Premier”.
His song, ‘De Legal System’, and spoke about the Registration Officer and the Supervisor of Elections and what took place in the court.
“The issue was not even the song. It was one line in the song that says, ‘the Prime Minister of this nation was heard on this radio station saying it ah wuk, and the Premier of my island stay clapping like a dumb dumb, oh what ah muck’.
“They are saying that I called the Premier a ‘dumb dumb’ which I did not, but that is just an excuse for them. It was clearly just an excuse not to send me. It was purely political! Some was hard hitting, very populous and fall against them and they just didn't like it. It is as simple as that,” he said.
Scarborough said they are only embarrassing Nevis by doing that.
“I could have gone because they did the same thing to me in 2007 and I went off of my own. But on principles, I decided I would not go this year because I want people to understand the wrong that these people have done to the king, not necessarily me, but I happen to be king,” he said.
Minister of Culture Hensley Daniel last week said that the song ‘De Legal System’ was disrespectful to the Premier of Nevis Joseph Parry because Scarborough called him a “dumb dumb”.
Daniel said he was still offended by the song and that the government could not support him going to Anguilla to compete after performing such a song. However, it was Daniel who crowned him king.
