This year’s Crop Over Festival needs more signage and pictures of Rihanna to create hype among visitors and the Barbadian community, says entertainer Richard Stoute.
The former calypso judge and tent manager, whose Teen Talent members were asked to perform at Saturday’s Opening Gala for the first time, lamented the lack of festival signage, especially around Bridgetown, and the fact that no pictures of superstar Rihanna were on billboards or show windows.
“Throughout Europe and North America there are huge billboards proclaiming Rihanna. There’s not even one billboard of Rihanna in Barbados. Not even a picture in a show window! So do we really appreciate the young lady? Are we happy for her?” he asked.
“If someone comes from Germany and asks where’s her picture, there’s none. I think she can promote the festival in that way because there are visitors who would get off cruise ships just to take a photo of a billboard of Rihanna in Bridgetown. We need to be more proactive in terms of how we promote this festival.”
Regarding specific signage for Crop Over, Stoute said: “If you are promoting a festival as important to us as Crop Over, which is a financial earner, we have economic challenges and need to sell it even more now. But there are no signs at all in the main stores of Bridgetown. And I’m in town every day.”
Another veteran, Sherwyn Redman, who has worked with the National Cultural Foundation collecting cash and tickets at venues for more than 20 years, agreed that more posters and billboards would be effective. He added that last year there was signage from Grantley Adams International Airport to Bridgetown. (RJ)
