BASSETERRRE, St. Kitts – THE Prize Giving Ceremony on Saturday (Jan. 29) marked the end to activities of the 2010/2011 National Carnival and Chairman Clement ‘Monarch’ O’Garro said he and members of the Committee had already returned to the drawing board for the 2011/2012 celebrations.
Many people said that the new committee had done an excellent job with the last Carnival when compared with its predecessors, while some claimed that more activities could have been added to make it much better.
With the 2011/2012 National Carnival, now branded Sugar Mas, set for December 16, 2011 to January 3, 2012, SKNVibes went downtown Basseterre to find out what suggestions people have to offer the Carnival Committee for the upcoming traditional event.
A Cayon High School teacher named Timothy said he thought the carnival was very well organised but it lacked much folklore. He said he would advise the committee to get some more folklore, including acrobats which he did not see at any point. He also said he does not feel the jams should end so prematurely, adding “all the bands should not be stopped because someone misbehaves in one band”.
Von suggested that the committee should invite troupes from Nevis to take part in the festivities because it is the National Carnival and not St. Kitts Carnival.
Jimmy, who indicated that he is a “carnival fanatic”, said the committee needs to extend the celebrations by one week.
A band member said the committee should give out awards to the bands that take part on the road. He said it does not have to be monetary but “at least a trophy or something to show appreciation, because there would not be much of a carnival without the bands”.
“They need to look at a centralised area for nightly entertainment because, besides the shows, there is really nothing else much to do. The shows are also too jammed up; they need to keep the shows early so by the time J’Ouvert morning comes we already have the National Carnival King and Queen”, Glen said.
Perry, who shared Timothy’s view on the bands, said the Last Lap jam session needs to be longer so that people could enjoy the bands and themselves.
An individual, on condition of anonymity and who was also a participant in one of the shows held during the last carnival, said the committee needs to find some new judges because “every year it is mostly the same old faces that normally already judged the shows before they even began”.
One young man who goes by the name of Shelly-B, said, “There should be random judging points unknown to the bands and parade troupes for the street activities. In that way they would be at their best at all times, unlike some people who only put out their best at the judging points.”
Another band member said there is need for a competition just for the bands. “Not bands and calypsonians, just the bands,” he stressed.
Following the complaint made by calypsonian Big Lice regarding another calypsonian’s eligibility to participate as a finalist in last year’s Senior Calypso Monarch Competition, it was suggested that a lawyer examines the rules and contracts of the contestants in judged events.
In an article on SKNVibes - headlined ‘Is it fair to allow individuals to compete with bands for the Road March title?’ - a number of people suggested that the Carnival Committee should review the judging criteria. They claimed that the current criteria are unfair.
Speaking with O’Garro, he said his committee is one open to suggestions and they would definitely listen to what the people have to say.
“We have no problem making changes and although we would not be able to implement everything we have heard some suggestions we can use.”
O’Garro said this year would mark the 40th Carnival celebrations and they are looking for some innovations that could make the event better. He said the 12 calypsonians who won the Senior Calypso Monarch Competition over the past 40 years are alive and the committee had given some thought about featuring them in some way, but the event has not yet been defined.
Send us your comments on this topic or add your suggestions for the Carnival Committee. Also feel free to email your entertainment story ideas to entertainment@sknvibes.com
