Time foh CDC and promoters to merge

Ah not in de Carnival like ah uses to, but de lickle ah see and hear happening is encouraging and de CDC, despite all de licks it continues to get, must be commended foh de job dey doing. De Kaiso dem outstanding dis year. SVG over de years has made ah name foh itself on de music scene. But de youngsters in Soca arena really impress me, de days when we uses to bring in far-reign artiste to big up shows are over, not when yuh have people like Gideon James, Scarpion, Bomani, dis new lady Zolah, Allah G, Skinny, Madzart, Jamesy P, Luta, Twenty, Problem Child what ah name, did I mention Fireman Hooper ah have to talk to him, ah wish he would give me ah call. My apology foh any ah left out.{{more}}

Things happening in Calypso, imagine seven persons got pick foh de Semi finals from de New York Tent. And my pal Becket is still vintage Zero-in on de 30th Anniversary dis year. Bomani has one ah de best songs dis year, not de one he sang pon Lie-Za wid he not going down dey tonight, Life ah think is de name. And what is happening to Pan? CDC has been carrying Pan foh too long now, there should be one Pan Show wid Senior Pan even though is only three bands, and de Junior Pan. Have de show on ah Sat-dey afternoon at de Car Park.

Going back to de CDC, de more things change de more it remain de same eh; CDC in my time did all de planning and promotions foh de festival, getting tent space foh Kaisonians and Massmen, getting Steel Bands equipped to play on de streets, purchasing top ah de line stage and lights, creating ah Village, de Big Yard foh all de shows, hundreds ah thousands ah dollars went into preparation getting de structures in place, and after doing all ah dat, de CDC shows had de poorest attendances, we uses to have to go back to Guv-ah-mint foh funds to pay prize money.

But yuh know while de CDC couldn’t meet dey bills, de private promoters were de ones who would come up wid de Big Shows, bring in far-reign artistes, flood Victoria Park or way ever wid massive crowds and cream de profit. And whenever CDC tried to protect dey territory we got plenty licks. Every year dey were calling foh CDC head on ah platter, today de call foh CDC head is greater. Dey need ah shake up actually.

But listening to de Radio dis week, it seems dat nothing has changed, Show Promoters fighting foh dey pound ah flesh and CDC rightly holding out. We have to strike ah balance, Promoters of these party type shows have ah place in Carnival, but one must remember dat Carnival is Mas, Kaiso and Pan and ah have never heard of any promoter fighting CDC to host Panorama, de Kaiso Semis, Kaiso Finals or Mardi Gras. These are de ingredients dat mek Carnival, these are what we use to promote de Festival abroad and bring home people, we must protect dat. So there seems to be ah need foh CDC and de top Promoters to join ranks, pool I-dare and mek Vincy Mas de best in de west.

AH SILENT MAJORITY

Yuh could always count on De Man Age foh ah pull-it-tek-all commentary dat will sting de establishment. He sang his stuff in Cato time, Mitchell got his dose from Man Age as well and now it’s Gonsalves time. Dis year he is in de Semi-finals and one of his songs is “Ah Silent Majority”, ting happening and everybody lip sealed. Imagine Guv-ah-mint push thru an Act to mek de dollar charge on people using de Grenadines Wharf legal, dey had to mek it retroactive to cover dey mistakes, but nobody come-plain we are “ah silent majority”! De Report for de Reclassification of de Public Service is out. Poor Lie-Za she fellar Lie-Owe wuks wid Guv-ah-mint and de two ah dem were of the opinion dat Reclassification of Scale meant salary increase and were looking foh more pay. Last time around de Nurses got justice. Ah haven’t heard any group shouting foh joy yet, ah know certain sections of de Police and Teachers will be red circled, remain fixed, but bet yuh dollar nobody will utter ah word of dissatisfaction, because we are ah Silent Majority. All yuh ain’t know when Arm-in got on de Radio explaining how de Reclassification of Scales wuk, NDP supporter was saying dat he should not get into dat, let de Guv-ah-mint face de music and explain, Arm-in should shut his mouth and be ah Silent Majority too.

Ah notice dat even de Caribbean leaders who met George Bush last week were ah Silent Majority. Dey said nothing about how de USA deporting criminals to these islands, ah lot ah these young people were born in de US. And ah notice dat when Bush tell dem dey must not keep Hugo and Castro company, rather dan telling Bush to mind his own business, dey went on like de mighty explainers. Ah was expecting our Prime Minister to stand up foh his friends and tell Bush dat Hugo and Castro were his personal friends, and Bush can’t tell him who to fren wid, but instead he was Ah Silent Majority.

Yes she came over hot and sweaty asking me if is true dat ah minister slap off ah public servant, ah didn’t hear ah thing but ah know how dat Lie-Za love ah thing, so ah tell she yes. Den she beg me please tell her who dey are. Ah tell her and was listening to De Man Age song foh dis year and ah doing what he say I am Ah Silent Majority. And wid dat ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.