Two Thursday nights ago, as part of the programme e-Create Barbados, there was a local presentation in the Bay Gardens at Oistins.
It was promoted as A Musical Showcase – An Eclectic Mix Of The Very Best In Live Barbadian Music.
The Brazilians who were in the island attending e-Create Barbados, and who had made presentations during the four-day seminar, were in attendance that night. In fact, they were seated up front so they could get an uninhibited view of the proceedings.
It was clear that the idea was for the Brazilians to get a taste of our Barbadian music. It made sense to me and was a most opportune occasion.
After all, Brazil has one of the biggest carnivals in the world. Also, the Football World Cup will be held there in 2014 and the Olympics will be there in 2016. What an opportunity to make an impression and before the right people – people of influence.
In my first paragraph I did mention the word eclectic, which speaks to the choosing of what appears to be the best from diverse sources. I must admit that the acts chosen were among the best of what we have in Barbados.
So we were on the right path. The stage was set. A large and expectant crowd was present. The garden was to be filled with the flowers of our music. The atmosphere was electric. The Brazilians, our specially invited guests, were ready. Ready to ingest and digest an all-Barbadian musical meal.
But alas, this was not to be, for one band opened its set with a Bob Marley song. And another band played quite a few Trinidadian songs.
The programme specifically stated Barbadian music. Why we had to play Jamaican music and Trinidadian music at an event which was especially created to showcase Barbadian music, I will never understand.
I tried thinking of this happening anywhere else in the world and I could not find another country.
Is it that we don’t know the difference between Barbadian music and Barbadian talent? I know that we are quite talented – especially when it comes to copying.
Is it that the bands played other countries’ music because they don’t know their own, because they don’t hear them enough to learn them? Is it that we have no national pride?
Whatever the reason, it was frightfully embarrassing. Imagine if the Brazilian entourage were impressed with the performance of the song from another country and had asked to meet the singer of the song; or if they wanted to purchase the song; or if they wanted to take the song performed to their carnival or to the Football World Cup or to the Olympics.
Once I was in Trinidad and watching a cultural programme on a Trinidadian television channel.
A guest on the show said that many artistes from outside of Trinidad were coming into Trinidad, getting exposure and going on to make it big in the outside world.
He identified Alison Hinds, Rupee, Kevin Little and some others. He claimed that Trinidad, through playing their music and giving them a stage at Carnival, was making them stars.
He said Trinidadians must make sure that the next person to make it big as a result of performing in Trinidad is a Trinidadian.
Since then, that avenue has dried up. We used to have the Bajan Invasion. That too died.
Jamaicans can come here and perform regularly and attract large crowds because we know their music. We can’t go to Jamaica and perform to large crowds simply because our music is not heard there.
Jamaicans play their own music year-round wherever they go. Jamaicans love their own music. For someone to love your music, you must first love it yourself.
We seem not to love much about ourselves. Recently I was thinking of what is a Bajan breakfast. All the other islands seem to have a national breakfast. I don’t know of any major restaurant that serves an authentic Bajan breakfast.
It was ironically interesting to learn from the Brazilians that the Brazilian government had stipulated that radio stations in Brazil must play 50 per cent Brazilian music.
They reported that it stimulated their music industry. As a result, there was a proliferation of Brazilian music, increase in performances and increase in royalties. Brazil then had a product.
If we do not play our own music, who is going to play it? Why should someone play our music if we are not playing it ourselves? Do you really expect somebody else to make our music popular?
We have to make ours popular first. We have to play it first. We have to love it first. We have to love our things first. We have to love things about ourselves first. We have to love who and what we are first. We have to love ourselves first. We have to love we . . . but when?
• Mac Fingall is an entertainer and retired secondary school teacher.
