The long anticipated Anguilla Summer Festival is over and as usual the pundits are out with their views about what went wrong or what went right. It is inevitable that a new Chairman will be compared to his predecessors. And for those persons who had a “beef” of one kind or another with the Chairman, he will be the worst ever — while for others who may have had their issues with the past Chairman they will probably say that he is “at least better than the one last year”. Whatever one’s view about the management of the Summer Festival — it is a tough job. However, one of the advantages we have inAnguillais the fact that we had a team in place before 2010 that, over a long tenure, had basically put together a “best practice” that made our Summer Festival one of the most unique in the region. Any incoming Chairperson only needs to follow that template and the festival can then practically run itself.
But, like I said earlier, it is a tough job. I therefore will not venture any particular criticism of the past or present Chairman except to say thanks for keeping the festival alive, even in these tough times. I believe that any Chairperson in this period would face challenges, and the fact that we had a full carnival roster of events was indeed an achievement in itself. In fact, just a few short weeks before the opening of the Summer Festival it was seriously being considered, at the highest levels, that it should be cancelled this year. Fortunately, much more sober thinking prevailed and Government continued its tradition of sponsorship — while the many Anguillians who depend on the Festival as an opportunity to generate additional income, were able to do so in an environment devoid of many of the threats of the violent conduct being anticipated.
To my mind, the fact that the Anguilla Summer Festival 2012 passed without any serious incidents on record, neither to the safety or the security of the participants and spectators, made it a remarkable success. Of course a number of agencies and individuals like the Police Force, the security contractors and the organizers would have contributed to the “incident-free” record this year. But if something were to have occurred, blame would have been directed at the Chairman and the Commissioner of Police, likewise in this situation these two leaders must be commended for their success in maintaining peace and safety during the entire season. If nothing more, we canproudly say thatAnguillaenjoyed a tranquil season of merrymaking.
It can also be said that the Olympics practically coincided with the Anguilla Summer Festival, and for many of us who were not impressed with the revelry of J’ouvert or Last lap — the Olympics provided an equally exciting and entertaining alternative. We were all particularly proud of our sole Olympian Miss Shara Proctor whose early qualifying effort gave us hope that we could be celebrating our first Anguillian gold medalist. While this was not to be, we were happy for the moments she gave us as well as the hope for the future for herself and a number of other young Anguillians who must now be coming to the realization that sports and athletics are a parallel pathway to success in their personal development. And as aCaribbeanpeople we too celebrate the Jamaican, Trindadian, Grenadian and Bahamian athletes who made us exceptionally proud of their medal and record-breaking achievements. As a matter of fact, it only goes show that physical size as a nation should not be a delimiting factor in producing world class competitors, artisans or professionals in any field of endeavour.
As I mentioned last week in my article “Soak yuh blows like a man!” I still remain guilty of going into the Village on only two occasions, namely, the Senior Calypso Monarch and the Leeward Islands Calypso Monarch shows. This year was no different. However, I was spared the usual licks/jabs from the various calypsonians as they entertained the very attentive audience. The Government of the day, in particular, the Chief Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary (Parl. Sec.) were not so lucky. They both received a “bollocking” from Queen Bee in her incisive rendition of “Burning Issues” further adapted from the original version.In it she challenged the Parliamentary Secretary, Haydn Hughes, to sue her for her lyrical commentary that had caused him to retaliate by making disparaging comments about her. There is no question that Queen Bee used the opportunity to further reinforce the point I made last week that Calypso is geared towards entertaining and that Haydn’s comments brought more attention to the lyrics than would normally obtain. In fact, the audience went into a cheering frenzy when Queen Bee “threw down the gauntlet”daring the “Parl. Sec.” to engage her in a legal battle over her comments.
The quality of the Calypso Competition was of the highest standards and this is not my view alone — a number of seasoned calypso aficionados have also expressed this sentiment. In fact, I certainly would not have wanted to be in the position of a judge for such a tightly contested event. In this context, I have never aggressively questioned the decision of a team of judges — their job is extremely difficult. I would also like to make the point that the person most incapable of making an objective evaluation of the decision is a person who is in the competition. Obviously, such a person is most likely to have a biased assessment of his/her own performance vis-à-vis the other contestants. I have made this point to express my outrage at a report that a number of the calypsonians, and their supporters, have exhibited very unsportsmanlike conduct in response to the judges’ decision. I must advise all calypsonians that there is an element of subjectivity in judging such contests that can go either way.
Calypsonians enter competitions fully aware of the reality that judges are human beings and will therefore respond to things that move them in the process. As a contestant one must submit oneself to that understanding without question. In fact, by virtue of having entered the competition in the first place he/she has agreed to abide by the terms and the outcome of the judging process. Contestants in the Band and Calypso competitions, in particular, continue to suggest that politics, personal preferences, incompetence, geographic criteria and other forms of favoritism are factors in the various decisions — I sincerely believe it is time to abandon this attitude and accept the judges’ decision as final. Don’t get me wrong. There are times when judges may make miscalculations. Such genuine errors can be dealt with without rancour and resolved amicably. It has been done in the past. It is my view that extreme unsportsmanlike behaviour should be penalized in a fair, equitable and accountable manner.
The Leeward Islands Calypso Monarch Competition was also a class event in all its aspects. It was, however, marred last year by the behaviour of the very calypsonian who won the contest this year. Whether his victory this year can be seen as vindication for the organizers of the competition, or an appeasement for his conduct last year, will be a subject of prolonged discussion. However, any such debate would undermine the significance of this event to the development of the art form locally, and the exposure it provides for artistes of the region. The record also shows that despite the criticism, this Sixteenth Year Anniversary makes theAnguillaevent the longest running inter-island Calypso Competition in the region. It is a distinction that may suggest that, over the years, the regional monarchs have been satisfied with the management of the event and that the organizers deserve to be congratulated for their effort.
Speaking of things regional, the OECS Assembly was inaugurated on Friday August 10, 2012 inSt. Johns,Antigua. The event signals steady progress towards more regional integration that has been a recurring topic in many of the Calypso Competitions over the season. The speeches were noteworthy and there appeared to be a somber quality to the ceremony thatgave a sense of history and promise to the occasion. In my view, perhaps the most significant difference between this and other events was the fact that probably for the first time Government and Opposition from the Member States were present in harmony with the goals and objectives of this important development in the OECS integration process. But, as I said before, there is a difference between the role of the politician and the calypsonian. The latter has as his main focus entertainment, while the former must have as his main focus the improvement of the welfare of the people he is elected to represent. The latter may be satirical in his approachwhile the former must be responsible in his comments. In this context, I would like to suggest that the inauguration of the OECS Assembly is not a Carnival event. It must have real significance for where we are going as a region. Now that Carnival is over we must think long and hard about what is required of us, and where do we fit in this regional integration process.
I have so far commented in this article on the Summer Festival, the Olympics and the Inauguration of the OECS Assembly. You may be asking where does this all fit together? The point I wish to make is that the Summer Festival is a period for celebrating our cultural traditions, showcasing our talents and relieving some of our stress and tension — but it has little to do with how we are doing as a country. I have noticed that when “the Tree” wins several races including the Champion of Champions, there are those who equate this successwith the Government Party. I have seen in the J’ouvert Jam and Last lap an element of politics in the various bands and some replication of the east-west rivalries in the arguments. I have noted a reluctance to criticize the actions of Government in calypso commentary and what appears to be a fear of speaking out. I have heard unfair comments from all sides about the judging process in all the contests which seems to take for granted that it is dominated by politics. I have heard of songs being banned from radio programs supportive of Government because they are critical of them; and so on. There appears to be a lot of raw politics in everything. There seems to be a political answer for almost every question — and a political solutionfor almost every issue.
It is time for us to look at the Olympics and think about what is required to go for the “gold” in the things we pursue as a people; follow developments in the OECS and decide where we want to go as a nation; and stop believing that who wins the Road March, the Calypso Competition and the Queen Show – has any significance to how we deal with the issues of youth and gun violence, our financial and economic woes, our relationship with the Governor and the British, Independence, and Good Governance. This is not to undermine the value of the Summer Festival but merely to suggest that we need to direct some of that passion to more lofty things that will transform our country in a positive way. According to “Shea Shea,” our newly crowned Senior Calypso Monarch: “We can do better than that!”
