In keeping with my insatiable appetite for Jazz I was easily encouraged to spend last weekend in Dominica on a business excursion complete with the opportunity to attend its Jazz ‘n Creole Festival. I was not disappointed. My only request being that I could return to Anguilla on Monday to take in a bit of the Welches Village Fest. With the help of “trusty LIAT” services my mission was accomplished. I landed at the J. Clayton Lloyd International Airport at approximately 5.30 p.m. and was having a hot buttered “Johnny Cake” literally minutes later.
I will not spend too much time talking about the Jazz ‘n Creole Festival except to say that it was well organized; overwhelmingly attended; and a wonderful experience for the patrons. The venue was exquisite — set on a World Heritage Site at Fort Cabrits near Portsmouth. It was an event that I would readily attend again and again. Of course I could not help but quietly lament the indefinite suspension of our Tranquility Jazz Festival since 2010. But what impressed me most, however, was the increasing number of local and regional artistes that participated in the event. The fusion of the Jazz and Creole music was most evident as well as the enthusiasm of “budding homegrown artistes” who performed quite credibly in both musical art forms. And very importantly the business sector rose to the occasion.
Speaking of festivals, Festival del Mar and the Welches Village Fest both exceeded our expectations. I would venture to say that the turnout on both occasions did not seem to reflect the dire financial challenges plaguing our island. The sponsors and the organizers need to be greatly commended for their hard work and commitment. One can also deduce from the response that the people are thirsty for such cultural attractions to brighten up their lives. The week before we had the 10th Annual Anguilla Regatta and this weekend the Anguilla Lit Fest. Like every other Caribbean island, Anguilla must come to the realization that you can improve tourism arrivals by creating excuses for visitors and nationals living abroad to come to your destination. How better to do so than to showcase your culture, national talent and things which make your island unique.
It is in this context, that I was most surprised by the decision of the Government of Anguilla to decimate our Summer Festival this year. But then, again, I should have known that this could always be a consideration given the fact that last year, as a response to the spate of violence among young people, the elected representative for East End, the Hon. Jerome Roberts, came up with the brilliant idea that we should cancel the Summer Festival. What was most outrageous, though, was that the one event that is the envy of the region, namely, the Leeward Islands Calypso Monarch Competition, was singled out for cancellation. Even the maths on that did not appear to add up given the fact that it is heavily sponsored by LIME. My question therefore is: what is it about the Summer Festival that concerns/bothers the AUM Government?
Last year the Parliamentary Secretary, Hon. Haydn Hughes, literally made a spectacle of himself through a rancorous attack on Queen Bee, a well-known Calypsonian; former Senior Female Calypso Queen; former Senior Calypso Monarch and former Miss Talented Teen, on public radio. It was obvious that the Parliamentary Secretary used that occasion to retaliate for the commentary in her hit release, “Burning Issues”, which he seemed to interpret as unfair to him. It was clear that the Parliamentary Secretary was directing his comments at Queen Bee, in her role as Chairperson of the Miss Anguilla Pageant Committee, when he made the following statement here transcribed from the audio version:
“I believe ahmm even as it relates to the Ms. Anguilla, Ms. Anguilla there’s so much uncertainty. I remembered when Nurse Nanton was in charge of that that that committee, you know; you had a beautiful, elegant, trim lady coming to your home and say: “hey, I want your daughter to be in the Ms. Anguilla” and you was like, wow, Nurse Nanton beautiful, intelligent and so forth. But today we probably need to look at the person who’s going to their homes and asking to come out to be in the Ms. Anguilla contest. You know, when, when, when someone who’s ahmm 300, 400 pounds come to your door and say I would like your daughter to be Ms. Anguilla, to be in the Ms. Anguilla contest…”
I fully agreed with Miss Webster (Queen Bee) when she stated: “Mr. Hughes’ comment regarding my weight is not only discriminatory, but disrespectful to me personally and to women on the whole.” The fact that Mr. Hughes, who is known to be a lyricist himself, reacted in this manner to a few lines in a calypso, which he did not appreciate, could indicate that he is not ready for “prime politics”. Politicians are the main targets of social commentary coming from those who practice the calypso art form, and if Haydn were to follow in his father’s footsteps that would be only the beginning of things to come.
It was my view that the number of negative reactions to Mr. Hughes’ behaviour should have caused him to apologize for his statement. But I had evidence to prove that he was being quietly admonished to apologize and bluntly refused to do so. His comment being: “I am not Victor Banks ….. I will not sit down and let them ride me!”
I suggested to Mr. Hughes, in an article, that he was misinterpreting my response to social commentary in calypso as follows: “Calypso is geared towards entertaining. The content may seem unflattering from time to time — but you should always be aware that today for me — tomorrow for you. I had my share because I was in Government for sixteen consecutive years. You are in Government now — your time has come. Man up! Leave Queen Bee alone! Soak yuh blows like a man!!”
Obviously, the Government may have been advised by the harsh reality of the economic situation that it should run a “tight ship” on Carnival expenditure this year, but it should not be at the expense of the core events of the festival. Furthermore, in the light of what appears to be a lack of understanding from some of the younger members of the Government, about the significance of Carnival, it is conceivable that there is a general attitude that it is not at the top of their agenda. Truth be told, the Summer Festival has never been about gate receipts and direct revenues to the Treasury. On the contrary, it has been about showcasing local talent, creating business opportunities for local businesses, as well as indirect streams of revenue to Government through customs duty, embarkation tax, accommodation taxes, and so on. There are small businesses that use the Summer Festival events as the “hump” to survive during the slow season. So, in this sense, it is actually a part of their business plan. Government would need to be more aware of this given the current economic situation. It could well be the time when “laid off” hotel workers can make a dollar.
But perhaps the situation of the Summer Festival and Government’s response could be a catalyst for the way the festival will be run in the future. One of the elements which was missing in the decision-making process by Government officials was stakeholder and public consultations. It took the Leeward Islands Calypso Monarch Competition Committee’s reaction, to the decision, to evoke a viable solution not only for their event but perhaps the future management of the entire Summer Festival. The outrage over the proposed cancellation of the Leeward Islands show may therefore have been a blessing in disguise. But what was most interesting was the response of the community and its willingness to make financial contributions to keep the Summer Festival alive. Not to mention a personal call from one of the most popular participants of the Competition, King Konris from St Kitts. His comments, if nothing else, brought home the far reaching impact of not only the Leeward Island Show but of Carnival as a whole.
I must congratulate the newly constituted Anguilla National Festival Foundation, in short AXAFEST, for its commitment to improving the viability of the National Summer Festival. It comprises the “usual suspects” who are always ready and willing to volunteer their services for important national causes. Hopefully, this will be a signal to the Government and the business community that we are all in this together. Keep your sponsorship and pledges flowing. Like the old folk understood in the hard times of our history: “Every mickle makes a muckle!”
