THE SOCA ROYALE clash is out, a gospel injection is coming, Crop-Over fairs are in and preliminary plans suggest that the Pic-O-De-Crop Semi-finals are headed back to the gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.
These were part of the preliminary plans for Crop-Over 2011 announced by Minster of Culture Stephen Lashley during a Press briefing yesterday.
The dropping of the clash between the Party Monarch and Sweet Soca champs was welcome news to Terencia TC Coward, who has won the Sweet Soca title for two straight years. The intended clash at Bushy Park never occurred because TC’s management took a decision not to compete in the interest of her safety, after angry patrons protested and started to throw missiles at the stage. Party Monarch champ Blood won the prized $89 000 car by default.
Though he pocketed the keys, Blood was one of the artistes not in favour of a clash. He and several artistes, including TC, felt the two genres should not be competing against the other. They also expressed concern at the fact that a singer could be a winner, and then a loser in a matter of minutes.
Similar views were expressed by nine-time calypso monarch Red Plastic Bag, Mr Dale and Li’l Rick, who felt the clash was “nonsense”.
“I’m glad to see that part of it, and I think a lot of artistes should be more comfortable. If it [the clash] is to beef up the prize money there are gonna have to be other ways that we can approach it, other than putting two completely different genres of music to clash against each other, especially in an environment such as that.
“Hopefully, this year we’ll have two competitions that will stand on their own two feet with equal strengths, no battling to see which is better than the other, which I thought the Soca Royale brought it down to.
“I think there are two types of music that can stand on their own. Ragga soca has done a lot for Barbados, and that’s basically what brought Barbados to the fore in terms of being out there internationally in the market and it has earned the right to stand on its own without having to battle against anything else,” TC told the DAILY NATION shortly after yesterday’s announcement.
Lashley said nothing definitive about the festival would be announced until meetings with the stakeholders, which are scheduled to commence at monthend, had been concluded. The 2011 Crop-Over calendar is expected to be released by the end of February.
He said one should expect major involvement from the youth and the inclusion on various cultural aspects, sports included, in recognition of International Year of Youth and International Year of Culture.
