BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - DIRECTOR of Culture Troy Mills, is urging local soca artistes to use the victory of duo LAX and KT at the recently concluded OECS Soca competition as a launching pad to get to the top.
In an invited comment on the victory, the Director indicated that, “We hope that this would provide the impetus for other soca artistes to have a product that they would be able to compete with the best out there.”
In congratulating the two performers - who had been local favourites during the Federation’s Carnival last December - Mills noted that his department is pleased with the duo’s win.
“It shows that our soca and the soca artistes, compared to those in the region, we are on par with or just as good or even better. We are really proud and honoured that they returned to the Federation as winners, and it is the first competition that we have had our participants enter for the year.”
He reminded that last year, St. Kitts and Nevis would have won approximately five titles on the regional stage, and he is hopeful that it would be matched or surpassed by the end of the year.
The Director, who is an avid supporter of culture and the various art forms, pointed out that the victory shows that, “The culture is alive and well and it has the potential to reach high places.
“It is also indicative that we as a cultural department, the government and the artistes themselves, push the art forms. And there is a need for the people to do a lot more to help to support the artistes, and of course, the artistes themselves would need to get more professional.”
He added that it provides an opportunity for the Department to be motivated and push the art form throughout learning institutions, particularly primary schools.
Citing the axiom ‘bend a tree while it is young’, Director Mills noted that it is for that reason they are planning their programmes to get into the schools and have them participate in calypso, dance and drama among other forms of St. Kitts and Nevis’ culture.
To this end, he stressed that this would make its way into the high schools and eventually into the wider society.
“That would mean that we would continue to see similar successes like we would have seen this year and last year.”
KT told SKNVibes Entertainment earlier this week that they are happy with the win and are looking forward to bigger things as they continue to build as a group, and compete at various regional competitions.
