September 2010 – September 2011
Pageants
BASSETERRE – St. Kitts. THIS year was also successful in entertainment as the reigning National Queen; Iantavian Queeley easily took the name of the undisputed queen of the Caribbean. Not only did Queeley capture the Miss Jaycees title but she also won all the judged segments.
A few weeks later Queeley did her Federation proud once again, this time in the Miss Carival Queen Pageant held in St. Vincent. She took all of the judged segments with the exception of Best Interview.
Another success in pageantry was in May when Sudeakka Francis represented the Federation in Miss Caribbean World and took the crown and also stopped Dominica in its bid for a third consecutive victory.
Festivals
Community Festivals seemed to be on a rise this year as there was not only the hosting of the longest standing festival – Green Valley, which celebrated 15 years but East Basseterre (Newtown) made some head way in also reviving their festival after seven years.
Earlier in April the Sandy Pointers Inspiring Real Improvement Throughout group (SPRIT) out of Sandy Point also organised and revived their community festival dubbed Black San' Bang-a-Lang.
The 25 days of events boasted activities from jaw dropping swimsuit pageants to open-air debates and from family outings to gospel extravaganzas and concerts amongst others.
The festival was described by many as a great first attempt by the SPRIT group and one which many patrons hope to see move further and become bigger and better.
Many Promoters continued to invite popular but foreign artistes for their big bashes. Hats off to Crucial Bankie and his group for keeping the Home Grown Festival alive and giving locals an opportunity to grow and shine.
The increase in the number of children attending Zack’s workshop on Fife and Banjo teaching also augurs well for future festivals and the retention of traditional festivities.
Music
A multitude of local acts has risen in the Federation and over the past year and there have been constant new releases by these artistes.
Many have also been putting their talents to use and more and more locals have been producing ‘riddims’ as there are also quite a number of new studios making it easy for artistes to record.
Some of the new artistes coming out this year include: Empress Livity, Dejour Lady Caramel and Brownie all of whom have released singles blazing on the radio.
Son of the soil, Masud Sadiki went international when UNESCO used his composition “Stitch in Time” as the feature song for the world drive against domestic violence. This took him as far away as Israel for performances.
Calypsos continue to be a major feature of Carnival and Culturama. Their uniquely creative contributions oftentimes represent the soul of the nation and their lyrics ought to be put in print and archived for posterity.
The Strip continues to be a major source of entertainment for locals and tourists alike and activities there have now become the subject of blogs by visitors on their return home, and even the activities of St. Kitts monkeys participating in drinking on the beach have now become a feature on American TV networks and YouTube promotions.
