Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has said that the general policy of his government is to ensure that local artistes are featured at the World Creole Music Festival (WCMF).
Addressing a press conference with the Association of Music Professionals (AMP) at the Financial Centre on Monday, he said the artistes should be featured in a serious fashion.
“Our position from a policy standpoint, we need to ensure that our local artistes are featured, and not in a token fashion but in a serious fashion,” he said.
However, the Prime Minister pointed out that respect should come from both the organizing committee of the WCMF and the artistes themselves.
“The committee must respect the artiste and the artiste must respect the committee,” Skerrit stated. “It is the committee that determines the order for the night. If you are given a gig and you are asked to come at 9, then 9 it is. If you do not want to come at 9 then you tell them, ‘no thank you very much I will not perform this year, or I do not agree with the time…’”
Skerrit said that when artistes sign an agreement, they should respect that agreement.
“Because by not respecting the agreement you run the risk of you not being considered next time and that can haunt you even when you go out to Dominica…,” he explained.
He stated that local artistes must recognize that the WCMF provides and opportunity for them.
“You never know who is in the crowd, you never know who is watching, you never know is listening and who can pick up talent, and say I am interested in this particular person, I am interested in this particular group…” he said.
Meantime Skerrit revealed that he hasn’t seen the line- up for this year’s WCMF.
“I am hoping this week I will,” he stated.
The WCMF was not held last year due to the passage of Tropical Storm Erika.
They are not professional enough. Not dressed suitably and their lyrics is marzee. Remote control, a nd Dominica .trade .com. We are fed up with it it is like thunder to our ears. change the tune man.
physiological deception mind games he did say that he studied physiology
I read this article and just laughed! My mind immediately went back to the political rallies of 2014 and I could not stop laughing. I would just like to see my good friend Roosevelt Skerrit and give him a high-five! “Tag me tag me my boy…you good” LMAO
I was hoping to hear the prime minister give a detail word on the things that are going on in our country such as molestation of under age children, high level of robbery and killing,the state of our roads the hardship of our farmers,the rate of unemployment,the number of beggers in Dominica,the dangers of our rivers and the increase of poverty.What shallowness…..Ithank God every day for the time i was born and raised in Dominica I do appreciate that more than ever. I pray and cry for the children of D.A
With all due respect, Mr. Prime Minister, must you have your hand in everything? And be seen to be doing so? Jeeez!!!!!!!
Do you really think that this would attract more, paying foreign visitors, especially those from the French islands now their Euro is worth much less against our dollar? I don’t think so.
Skerritt beating his chest. I haven’t seen the line-up,” Claims Skerritt. After the Committee chooses the artists,, it is he who determines the final list.
Remember. never forget. It was Skerritt, who decided unilaterally, to refuse the creator of our Cadence Musical Genre to even perform at a WCMF.
Destra and other foreign artists are the main crowd-pullers for DLP election campaign. Hundreds of thousands of $$$$$$$$$$ are paid to those foreign artists. Who care about locals?
15 plus Years DLP in GOV’t what about the MUSIC INDUSTRY? Nothing to boast about. The WCMF is reeling. The vision for the organisation/development of the WCMF, as put in place by the UWP, has been cast aside. Now, the list of artists in the line-up must be sent to Skerritt for acceptance or rejection. after they are selected by a competent body?
The AMP must exercise, its independence and autonomy, never allowed to be influenced because of the $$$$$$$ by politicians.
Spoken like someone with an honorary doctorate ” serious fashion” ….oh wait…yes that’s you…lol
This is alot of BS…and does not recognise that MANY local artists WHEN and IF given the chance have done Dominica very proud. Nelly Stharre NEVER got to perform on the WCMF… NASIO – Once, and so many others. Now I hear that Dominica’s BEST JAZZ BAND, Breve, which is putting out NEW ORIGINAL MUSIC this year, is being asked to BACK UP Cameron Pierre on the Jazz n Creole festival, but they are being DENIED a spot to PERFORM AS A BAND….
Our policy in DA is to make our fellow Dominicans BEG. We love to BELITTLE our brothers and sisters. We HATE TO PAY our local professionals, and then we go out and talk BS.
By the way, the economy is STILL SUFFERING from not having a Festival / Recovery Concert in the slot of the WCMF last year. And don’t blame the private sector, because they were willing to do it, with the support of the DFC as a COORDINATING office/body, but the government refused to allow the DFC to perform that function.
PM stop talk nonsense. Mosquito…
“However, the Prime Minister pointed out that respect should come from both the organizing committee of the WCMF and the artistes themselves.” Please guys, DON’T YELL “TRAITOR” UNTIL I TELL YOU. Just make your fashion serious.
roosvelt start his campain early
OK, Skerrit going to kill that one. WCMF you will be missed!
No. You just being cheap about hiring artists that would make regional citizens want to visit. And I never got ‘s refund for my ticket last year – i still have the receipt.
It is so annoying to hear this Skerrit guy talk, as far as I am aware what Skerrit about comes under the portfolio of a minister, why is it that this one man ruler/dictator is not allowing the ministers responsible for their miniseries/departments to talk?, Skerrit this I, I, I, /dictator attitude of yours need to stop, Domimica is going nowhere under your leadership, just look around you, yet you want to poke your nose in everything, stop seeking attention for yourself, whereas the island is sinking into poverty, man stop making an a of yourself
All positive vibes for the artist dem..see no wrong in what the man say..All the negative comments kill the good energy from the PM.
I wondering if this is the same Roosevelt Skerrit, who paid millions of dollars to Foreign performers to perform for his party during the last election, Skerrit should be the last person taking about including locals, wherea he is excluding Dominicans in the affairs of their country, going out all over the globe signing all sorts of documents/deals, appointing all crooks to be Our Diplomats etc, and there are not LOCALS, coming back from wherever, not addressing us, when asked questions telling us go to Hell, NOT OUR dam business, Skerrit you action speaks louder than works, and practice what you preach, also according to the saying, Skerrit clean your closet first, only then you can ask others to do so
That’s why I say this guy is a fake.
YOu damn right, its him self. Ridiculous double standard. This man Skerrit finds news, stale news to talk about to distract us from the true stories affecting Dominica`s poverty and poor governance. We want accountability, there are enough better skilled and competent people in the art industry to best advise us on cultural matters. This government is not credible.
The political fashion in government today and for the past 10 years has been corrupt, inept and devastating and this corruption has become a politically fashioned for them, the DLP to remain in office. This is NOT cultural and has and continues to damage Dominica`s place in the cultural world.
There is a place for local artists, but in the overall scheme of things we are going to limit the scope of the festival is its local focused.
While promoting local artists is laudable, the focus should be on bringing tourists to Dominica, and therefore they need to feature artists that can attract the largest number of tourists to the islands while ensuring the festival is self-sustaining. Whether the artists are local or foreign should be a secondary consideration.
I respect your point my brother But trust me the artist that we pay so much to bring here can be seen at home for most of the tourist you thinking they will attract
Do the artists get to choose what they want or are they told what numbers to perform
DFC, do not forget to consult the PM when ever you want to change the color of the toilets paper.
the Man is in charge of …..everything.
nothing will work once this joker remains in Power…
dominica sells so many passports internationally, allot of millionaires in local dominica why not invest at least 4 million into the fest to raise the stake and artist line up…
look at st.lucia and the other islands the up the stake but the educated fools in dominica are embracing mediocrity at the highest levels, how u expect to gain international exposure…dominica is a foolish caribbean island period when u listen to the chat of this regime it shows only a bling and show but lacking substance..
foolish paradise…headlines dominica..
“Our position from a policy standpoint, we need to ensure that our local artistes are featured, and not in a token fashion but in a serious fashion,” he said. This man speaks in an oxymoron attitude, blind to the subject he talks about. Lacks value, merit and substance.
Ask Wadix, and the committee what all you DLP people did to Gordon Henderson, was it last year. Skerrit bold you know, or he must be suffering from amnesia.
The Prime Minister want locale artistes to participate in a serious fashion… Serious fashion means serious money too…
How about we get you to pay for all what you have done to Dominica in a serious fashion?
When you was running for the last election why didn’t you ask the local artist to perform. Instead all you had was foreign artist paying them big money. Set the example first and others will follow. You always want to step in other people’s event. You worthless PM.
Put Free Joseph on the festival stage.
Look, I like Free Joseph as a person but so long that man is in the music business and if his work was that good or popular he would have received more appreciation long time ago. Music has to speak for itself and find its own audience. Making noise on the radio does not achieve that.
As an artist, i applaud the statement of the PM. However with Piper and his backward thinking, we will have a battle. firstly to make music, and be a productive artist takes money, WCMF…or DFC refuses to make a full payment to Local artists, and rather spend on imported art. Firstly, DDA should take broader steps in promoting or gaining avenues to promote and regulate our Local music and at what quality it is sent out. Promoting the likes of Triple Kay etc. as Local, marketable music is absurd. We have so much Talent, but without assistance we are left to fend on our own, then are expected to just produce what is needed. STOP with the segregation, there is not only one set of artists in DCA, Michelle Henderson is awesome, but what about the likes of Mel-C, Lyric, Vivace Acoustic, Attunya, Dr. Silk, and many many more! IM STILL WAITING ON PIPER TO BUCK UP!
Skerrit the musical expert and promoter now.Another cabinet post for the dictator.Smh.
Mr PM,don’t forgot that it was just a short while ago you denied Mr Gordon Henderson the opportunity to be featured at the WMCF and to be honoured.You did this because of petty,thin skinned politics by you.You have lost credibility to lecture people when you overturned the decision of the committee in charge.Look in the mirror Sir,you just spoke to yourself
Honnorable Doctor Skerrit, do you first think about what your government is doing about an initiative before you start talking, you want more local artist, as a concern citizen and a lover of the art form, I say put more human resource in the school to teach our students the art form. Triple Kay Global to (Dominica alone) waits for other people to write their songs and then they use it to sing to a beat, that’s not art, that playing with music. In other for there to be more local talent at the festival, we need to nurture and develop the talent, so while you calling for more local talent, prepare the road to transform these talented people.
Oh really??? Last year you Skeritt stop the Music Festival because of Erika while you were partying Baroness Scotland (the famous salt shaker) and now you want to promote it? They should really perform for true. They should show their God given talent by singing their hearts out about the evil passport selling slavery system you have set up on the island where only you stand as the sole beneficiary of it. They should sing about the hungriness, joblessness, poverty, begging, prostitution, sideline favors, and either you be red or be dead vibes that running in the place. Leave the Music Festival to the organizers and focus at your task at hand which is to get the country up and running you that lazy good for nothing mal-practitioner of politics
because all the money they had for the top shelf foreign artists last year was used/pocketed after Erica. Even the millions we probably received in money and goods donations that hasn’t been accounted for or reported on as yet. right now they blaming everything on Erica. so now that the pot is really almost empty, they want to see local artists at WCMF in high fashion, but only because they are cheaper. Dont let them fool you. Everything was because of Erica, but nothing has been done apart from clear away mud and dirt. Nothing has been repaired apart from the 2 bridges leading out of Roseau.
oh and the bailey bridges that were also donated. one of which we had jamaicans put up for us free of charge.
Oh, the PM. now also runs the WCMF? What do we need all the managers for with Mr. Omnipotent in charge? I will patronize the event if there a local artists but only if they come up to scratch, not because P.M. says so.
Micro management of a country. Pretty soon musicians will be told what words to put in thier song and before you know it father Thomas will be writing oh praise him RS oh praise him. Praise him praise the Son of ittasi House.
Shaka, sorry to break it to you but you see it clearly….he IS definitely micro managing. Remember just last year he assumed the self-acclaimed position to run ‘The Music Industry’ for a year? Whatever that means. That’s maybe part of…. ‘The job’?. lol