A Black Hole?

There was a time when Carnival bands did all they had to do – pay the accompanying orchestras, supply drinks for their members, etc. – from the registration fees collected; winning calypsonians’ prize monies came from the gate receipts at the various performing venues; other Carnival Association expenses were paid from whatever was earned at the Queen Pageant, which was at the time the biggest money-earner.
Things have come a long way since then. Sponsors have either come forward or been successfully solicited, to the extent that this year, we have seen an unprecedented amount of support and sponsorship money being poured into every aspect of the festival, to enable it to be as grandiose as possible.
But even more, the government, through the intervention of the Tourist Board and the Minister of Tourism, has generously allocated the sum of one million EC dollars toward the improvement of the extravaganza.
The financial base on which the celebration depends therefore, has increased a thousandfold, over the last few years. The question is, has the level of quality of the spectacle followed suit?

In some cases, such as the area of calypso, the answer seems to be yes. In the aspect that embraces the band competition however, we are not so sure.
Year after year, areas are found that are in definite need of improvement … and promises are made that these will be effected – but seemingly in vain. The quality of the portrayals, the originality and creativity in the costumes and in the presentations – which are becoming more and more rare, the criteria used for judging, all seem to be areas that still need to be addressed.
In the interests of the improvement of our enjoyment – and the viability –of our biggest cultural celebration, it is definitely most commendable that the infusion of funds was authorized by the Minister for Tourism, but we do hope that the results reflect that consideration … and that, in effect, it does not look as though we are shovelling our monies into a black hole, where much is going in, but nothing of equal value is coming back in return.