Five finalists chosen in the IYC 2012 Song contest

As part of the celebrations to mark the historic UN designated International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) 2012, 28 talented artistes performed in the SVG IYC Theme Song contest held on Saturday, October 29, 2011, at the Russell’s Cinema in Kingstown.{{more}}

Songs were developed around the promotional tagline “Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better World”, and the audience of cooperators and supporters on hand for the event swayed, bounced and cheered in rapt delight as they witnessed renditions in musical genres that included jazz, soul, rap, calypso, shango and gospel.

At the end of deliberations by the panel of expert judges, the front runners who emerged were: 1st place: Shaunelle Mc Kenzie, whose song was titled “Building Cooperation” and who rendered an enthralling and energetic fusion of Caribbean vibes; 2nd place: Stacey Little, who took the stage in impromptu costume and mesmerized the audience with her rendition of “Cooperatives Build a Better World” in a melodious blend of modern folk-calypso; 3rd place: Alphaeus Duncan, the ‘Observer’, who sang “Join a Cooperative” and teased patrons with his soulful, traditional kaiso, ex-tempo style rendition; 4th place: Kenneth ‘Vibrating Scakes’ Alleyne, who proved that age was absolutely no obstacle, rendering his lyrically rich traditional calypso number “Stand Tall” with classic mastery; and 5th place: Adrian Wright, who embedded the minds of Generation-Y with a history of the achievements of cooperatives through a scintillating rap number titled “The Cooperative Legacy.

Final adjudication to decide on the song that will bear the honor of “IYC 2012 Theme Song” will be done by a selection panel comprising a cross-section of representatives of the SVG Cooperative Sector.

The IYC 2012 Song Contest was hosted by the SVG Cooperative League on behalf of the National IYC Planning committee. The standard of the entries was so high that the organizers announced their intention to create avenues throughout the Cooperative Year to feature all of the songs, making everybody a winner of this maiden competition.