Bouyon boss Asa Bantan is DBS’s brand ambassador

Top Dominican Bouyon artiste, Asa Edwards, popularly known as “Asa Bantan”, has signed a partnership agreement with the Dominica Broadcasting Corporation (DBS Radio) to become the station’s first brand ambassador.

Both parties believe that this initiative will enhance and promote Dominica’s music on a wider scale.

Edwards said it’s an honour to be part of DBS Radio and expressed his gratitude for having been given the opportunity.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be part of the DBS family and were going to take it another step further,”he sated. “When Mr Joseph brought the idea to me, with the idea I already had in my head and we combined it together, it was just booming and I can say from this day on, we are going to change things in Dominica in the Bouyon business and in broadcasting.”

“We have a lot of great ideas I really feel people will love.  And I want to say thanks for that opportunity and we’re going to make Dominica proud,” Edwards declared.

Program Director at DBS, Ivona Jno-Baptiste-Lugay, said DBS has a vision for promoting and widening the scope of Dominica’s music.

“One of the things we place much emphasis on, is the development of the cultural industry in Dominica – not just the promotion of music from local artistes but we also have a vision to see how we can broaden that scope,” she added.

Jno-Baptiste went on to say, “I’m sure the pioneers of our music, and I speak more so of Cadence, when they started that genre, they found that their music would evolve and of course it has evolved because we see the fusion of that into our Bouyon music as well and to see where Asa Bantan has taken our music, I mean it just speaks volumes for our cultural products in Dominica, our talents and creativity.”

“In the thinking of the Corporation and its vision and where we want to go, it was important for me as manager of DBS Radio, to go to the other level in broadcasting. Two nights ago, Asa Bantan and myself were in a discussion and a vision came; and that vision was how can we work together as two bosses in Dominica,” Joseph recounted.

He elaborated, “The idea that came out was that how could we have Asa Bantan as the DBS brand ambassador and when Asa heard that, immediately, he was attracted to the idea and we sat and  discussed what we believe that could make not only DBS Radio proud to be associated with Asa Bantan but how Asa Bantan can be associated with DBS radio and the rest of the world can come to appreciate what we are actually doing at DBS.”

The DBS boss also said that DBS has a role to play in ensuring that bouyon music is improved.

When many people at my age criticize the Bouyon music in terms of its lyrical content, we at DBS radio, see it’s our responsibility to help the art in getting purer and better and Asa Bantan has been one of the leading commentators of social events into the Bouyon music and so, I saw the need in working with Asa and I’m sure with that initiative that we will surely see an increase [in the] value of the Bouyon music.

Joseph says DBS is proud to have forged this association with Bouyon and the highest ranking Bouyon entertainer in the world.