Cupid pull back yuh bow

Every July when VincyMas wines-down after de wine-up, ah does find me-self singing Lord Kitchener’s Master-piece of ah Calypso: “De Carnival is Over” and is so ah Luv it! Tek a five minutes break, Google it and listen fee yo-self.

Way back since July, 1977 when VincyMas was switched from February/March Pre-lenten Mardi Gras, Car-nah-fall, to June/July Summer Fest, it was named: “Vincy Mas! our Nah-shun-all Festival’. De intend-shun was to be different, merging everything Culturally Vincy to-get-her: “ Steel ban, Calypso, Mas,(Pan/Carry/Mas), Folklore wid de traditional Maypole, Quadrille, African Bum Drum, Monkey Band etc”.

De change over was ah Tri-Men-Dos success, immediately Vincy Mas ranked high wid Trinny-dad! We spiked up we name from “ SVG Carnival! Vincy Mas in de July Sun!” to “ de Hottest Carnival in the Carry-Beyond!” By 1987, our 10th Anniversay, Becket won Road March “Ten Years of Mas ‘n’ Music, Ten Years!” All Vincy was rejuvenated!

But Times and Go-venom-mints would have changed, our priority and E-con-nah mix dough, Our Car-nah-fall started sliding in terms of growth and development, but our near-bars like Grin-ada wid dey Jab! Jab Spice Mas as well as Bo-bail-us wid de Crop Over Festival pushed ahead ah we.

So de Love Vine along wid Lie-Za wants to remind de Minister of Cult-cha, dat (since de change over date in 1997), today Wednesday July 9th, is Day No 1 of de 50th Anniversary of Vincy Mas. Yes dey’s ah new CDC (only six months ole), but are de components of de CDC functioning outside of de Can-ah-val season? What’s happening in Youlou Pan Movement (YPM)? Is Pan Against Crime part of YPM? Shouldn’t we have had more bands in both de Juniors and Senior Pan-ah-ram-her categories dis year? How we miss having Steel Bands from de Carib Communities in de North, and Union Island in de South. Dat smacks of cultural neglect or ah-band-on-mint

Lie-Za has serious concerns bout de funk-shun-all-at-tea of de components. When last has any of de Calypso, Pan and Mas Ah-so-she hear-shun met? Do dey meet at all? And she not looking fee Come-Mess! She begging dat Minister Cupid draw back his bow and his arrow and get Vincy Mas 50th Anniversary planning into more-shun!

Fully ah-wear dat Car-nah-fall is not de Minister’s only baby, and he needs help. He might have to step on ah few toes and fingers and feelings too, by picking ah Carnival Development Committee (CDC) wid more business oriented members, and less persons seeking dey own self interest. Nuff said bout dat.

Congratulations to all persons who helped to mek VincyMas 2026 ah reality. Special Congrats to de ever persistent, Symphonix Steel Orchestra from Questelles, de new crowned Panorama Champions. In Calypso de Winners in de Juniors- incidentally dey are three 12 year ole girls, two from Sandy Bay and one from Shatto Bel-Air who took de top places. De winner of dis year’s Senior Nah-shun-all Monarch (Calypso Queen) is Chanique Bailey of “Team Bailey” headed by her hubby Adrian Bailey, who is among SVG’S Best Musician/Arrangers. Lie-Za say if she was Chanique, she was saying “All is mine” not ah cent fee she husband. And second place fee de umpteenth time in de calypso finals, is Patches. Lie-Za swear dat Patches waiting to be crowned 50th Anniversay Monarch. Dat will be great. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

•  Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.