SOME TIME ago the present Minister of Education inveighed against excessive nudity in the dances, parades and jump-ups connected [mainly] with Crop-Over. I wish to endorse his condemnation. Let us not fool ourselves: Barbados is in competition with a great many other locations for the tourist dollar.
As soon as Cuba’s tourism attraction comes on streamI expect that this competition will intensify.
Any group of young women in any nation can indulge in suggestive gyrations and “wukking up” et cetera. We in Barbados need to offer aught that is distinctive or even (if possible) unique.
One idea might be that if our dancing in the streets were not lewd but family-friendly. If it allowed for young children to watch and perhaps even participate decently, that might in itself make our carnival preferable to those of some other places.
I would like to encourage others to try to find attractions that do not focus so exclusively on the human body. That there are trucks with various wooden or cardboard decorations is an indication that non-[human] body attractions can actually be produced.
I have an idea that might well be ludicrous, but has anyone ever considered spreading or draping colourful cloths or big sheets on the street between groups or revellers? We need ideas, novel ideas and any idea tends to stimulate the production of more ideas, and encourages creativity. Maybe the costumes and appendages, et cetera, of revellers might be made to be more decorative at the expense of the revelation of naked flesh.
Given the very unfortunate seaweed problem on so many of our beaches as well as beach erosion, and so on, now more than ever we in Barbados need to find more things for tourists not only to view but to do.
Can they be encouraged to engage in activities such as building simple huts of a cultural nature, not as hard work, but as recreation? How about offering them opportunities to build clay pots, primitive (but arty) statuettes, dishes or plates?
On no account, however, should we ever entertain the idea of bringing in casino gambling. If we ever have that here the Mafia will follow as sure as the sun rises. Apart from that, encouraging visitors to gamble (and they always over gamble) is a heartless, cynical way of exploiting the people whose coming to Bim has been such a pillar of our way of life for so long.
Do we want our visitors to remember Barbados as the place where they went broke? Many gamblers are compulsive gamblers and the more they lose, the stronger is their desire to gamble more, to try to recoup their losses. Besides, all sorts of places can offer casino gambling and some already do.
Let us offer our tourists a taste of genuine Barbadiana.
– MIKE J. MOSELEY
