BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - UNDER the theme ‘Plenty Action, Plenty Fun’, Sugar Mas 41 was officially launched last Saturday night (Nov. 10) with a ceremony on Bank Street.
Members of the general public came out in large numbers and relished in the festive atmosphere, while highlights that night included folklore performances by masquerade troupes and the Mansion Bull.
There was also a launch and presentations of mas troupes and a performance by Nicha B.
Among those in attendance were Prime Minister Dr. Denzil L. Douglas; 2011 Miss Talented Teen, Junika Berry; 2011 Miss Digicel Haynes Smith Caribbean, Siobhan Phipps; and Miss Caribbean Culture, Trevicia Adams.
The event was hosted by popular radio personality Juni ‘Big JL’ Liburd of Freedom FM.
The new Chairperson of the Carnival Committee, Sylvester Anthony, during his welcome remarks told the audience about some new additions that include a float competition and a new kind of mas troupe.
That night, he presented his team which comprises both new and old faces with him retaining the position of Chairperson of the Calypso and Soca Sub-committees.
Deputy Chairperson of the Carnival Committee is Ivor Blake and he is responsible for security.
The other committee members are Nisharma Rattan-Mack (Pageants), Lester Ible (Sites), Carl Bodie (Gates and Finance), Valentine McMaster (Street Activates), Donna Morton Secretary and Vincent Fough (Community Festivals and Production).
“This year we are focusing a lot of our activities on the streets and so we will have three days of street activities and one of these days will focus on not Children’s Carnival, but Junior Carnival. This year we are adding schools as parts of the Junior Carnival and we are introducing a float competition among the high schools,” Anthony disclosed.
He went on to say: “You know whenever high schools are competing there’s a lot of excitement.”
Anthony revealed that there would also be a T-shirt Mas activity as well on day one to bring some more people off the streets as onlookers and into the bands.
The Carnival Chairman is optimistic that it would be better this time around.
“We will have a banner time. All we ask is that you join a troupe, join a J’Ouvert troupe, masquerade troupe, any troupe; but join a troupe and participate,” he encouraged.
Accordance to him: “Those of you who participated last year in Sugar Mas 40/40 would have known that we had a banner time. This year we promise you greater and a better time.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Culture with responsibility for Carnival, Marcella Liburd, urged the public to act responsibly in light of the outlook that “we are going to have a wonderful time”.
“I appeal to persons that whatever you are doing, do it in a reasonable and rationale way. Drink responsibly so that we don’t have any problems at all. Conduct yourselves responsibly; remember our children when we are conducting ourselves so if we would want them to conduct themselves in a particular way we should lead by example,” Liburd admonished.
She continued: “So responsibility - that is the word I want us to use for Carnival. We want to have a lot of fun but we want to do it responsibly, and it’s very important because Carnival is a time when people engage in a lot of risky behaviour and as a result of this you get all kinds of things happening down the road which we often regret. So let’s do what we have to responsibly so that we won’t engage in risky behaviour.”
The Kollision Band brought the curtains down with a jam session that night.
A parade throughout the streets of Basseterre was held earlier that day.
