Manager of Showdown Mas Camp, Dr. Valda Henry, despite criticism, has expressed her desire to incorporate more foreign artistes in the event’s roster.
She explained that foreign artistes will perform each week at Mas Camp and urged Dominicans to be accepting of foreigners, whom she said will help to improve the standard of the island’s local talent.
“CARICOM, CSME, it’s one Caribbean space, and so, the introduction of our foreign acts at every week this year is really to expose Dominicans to these artists, but also too, is to help in terms of building strategic relationships and partnerships with persons from other countries, so that we, too, can plan our own events which we are planning for our artists to tour other countries,” she said at a press conference on Thursday. “All of those things are changing so that we can provide a platform for great exposure… for all our artistes.”
Dr. Henry stated that we must not only see the nationality of others but rather, unite and consider ourselves as being part of the Caribbean community.
“If we are to encourage that one movement, and that free space, it is really not about being Dominican, and being Vincentian, but it’s being Caribbean people. It’s all part of Caribbean unity,” she noted.
She went on to say that foreign artists will become more of the norm at Mas Camp, and hopes that people will soon see the merit of this decision.
“I think every year, we will have an element of foreign acts because every year what we try to do is expand our network, our calypsonians…they see a different level of performance, and what it does, [is] it helps to motivate them to strive to bring up their own game, so that they too can compete on the international platform, and that is our aim,” Dr. Henry stated.
Kevin Lyttle, from St. Vincent, is slated to perform at Mas Camp on Friday night (tonight) and Dr. Henry said other foreign acts have already been contacted to perform at the remaining Mas Camp events.
“Mighty Gabby is coming next week Thursday, Short Shirt is coming on the 30th,” she stated.
Our local acts can’t seem to get out of the mud because the format and approach to song writing and musical production is stuck in reverse. There’s an insatiable appetite for what’s written, and who writes it, with very little emphasis on melody and arranging. The song writing process at home must change. We need song writers who write music around beats and melodies first. The written content should then be secondary.
This is a great move. Dominica and Dominicans continue to exhibit a strong sense of national pride. Unfortunately for us, the world that we live in today has become a global market place. Our local performers who ply the carnival route has not yet produced a regional chart topping performance to date. It’s time that we change this trend. The next move is to invite an arranger and song writers who understand our local issues with the ability to pen them in a way that can be expressed to the wider Caribbean and international market place. Change in Dominica is a very slow process, but with Dr. Henry at the helm, we have a leader with the experience and ability to make this happen.
Are the people at Dfc qualified?
If someone did not bring Skerrit into it….time to stick to the relevant issue. . It’s Carnival time!
Something that has to be explained can never be spontaneous, as carnival is supposed to be.
Yes, I do hear excruciating performances from would-be calypsonians, from all walks of life but that is the essence of carnival. I is folk art, not an opera performance for a selected few, quite the opposite and I would not have it any other way.
The economy is terrible in Dominica, but yet you’ll bring in foreign artists to perform and then, take back all the monies that they’ve made to their countries. Everything in Dominica is back to front…Calypso is always about our local artists…..Charity begins at home….
Forgive me for being somewhat sceptical. Kevin Lyttle is not exactly known as a calypsonian but more as a soca/dancehall artiste. Our carnival song tradition is very much focused on local issues and to suggest that Kelvin Lyttle can help to improve the standard of our local art is somewhat insulting and belittling. After his 2003 single “Turn me on” he has not been able to repeat that success and his last album “I love Carnival” is not exactly a chart buster either. Don’t forget that performers like him demand a bigger fee than our local talent. Nor is he a typical regional performer as is made out, as I understand he resides in the U.S.A. (Miami I believe) Who is going to pay for that? I have a sneaky suspicion that the organisers are trying to dilute the messages our local calypsonians bring and so undermine the spirit of our carnival. That would be a shame.
Great move, Dr. Henry. Our local calypso can only improve from the experience of working with others. I look forward to the day when our street parades on carnival Monday and Tuesday also include bands from other Caricom countries, our calypso contest includes calypsonians from other Caricom countries and we can put on a true spectacle worth watching and selling.
Long live LGTB.
What the hell you suppose to mean?
Dr,Henry great job,when Skerrit brings down his multi million dollar acts,doesnt the labour supporters enjoy the time,nothing wrong in bring our neighbors to Dominica,Once its not those gang banging jamaicans.
Dr. Henry, I have tremendous respect for you. Can you please do us all a favour and be a mentor to those folks at DFC? They need someone to guild them on forward planning.
You have all these artists who do not live in Dominica lined up and ready to go. Everyone knows the schedule of their performances. How is it that DFC have to wait until a day before the opening of carnival to confirm Triple K will be on the road?