By Lennox Weston
Carnival 2023 is the official Festival when an important part of the Antiguan identity and culture was officially and publicly murdered.
The Antiguan music was tragically left out of our major national celebration.
In the numerous fetes foreign music was all you could hear. During the various parades and Jouvert and Last Lap foreign music not only dominated but was celebrated.
So, when I saw a mass troop showing some recognition to one of our Giants by passing in front of King Swallows’ nest, the house where he lived and paid homage to his work and Legacy I was moved to say, “finally there is hope”.
After DJ played three of Swallow’s great hits, I heard Willie Lewis Baseline hornline and cowbell authentic Antiguan sound, he went straight back into playing all foreign songs.
Hearing Swallow’s sweet hooks and the crowd singing along reminded me of the time when our Carnival was a celebration of the Antiguan artists entertaining Antiguans, celebrating Antiguan craft, and putting Antiguan music on display at the center of the festivities.
Promptly after this 5-minute tribute to Swallow I saw the new power, two turntables and two computers and the DJ. the new Czar.
Antiguan DJ with monopolistic power, mindlessly disrespecting Antiguan culture, our identity, our music treating us as inferior, shaming us and in so doing helping to entrench cultural and commercial advantage to Trinidian music as the only culturally authentic sound of Soca, of Carnival, of West Indian fetes, of West Indian party.
Our music art form is now in the hands of two computers and DJ’s whose cultural sensitivity is as dead as a rock. Impermeable to the harm caused to a national cultural art form.
The DJ, in celebrating Swallow with his music didn’t evoke any reflection in their Collective Minds as to their role in launching the most vicious attack on a national cultural art form and expression mindlessly conspiring to ridicule and debase the musical creativity of their own people destroying the very Legacy of early giants like Swallow who can only be truly celebrated by the continuation of their legacy and celebration of national expressions of song and music as embodied in the new sounds of the new artist who follow them.
Two computers, Two Turn table culturally insensitive DJs and Fete Promoters of our music flushing Antiguan music down the drain. A crowd jumping in celebration of the demise of their own culture, their own identity and musical art form.
The death of Antiguan music in our Carnival parades, fetes and Jouvert was our Collective walk of shame. Assigning Antiguan music to a position of cultural inferiority, elevating Trinidad’s music as culturally authentic and Superior is reflective of a people who have lost their identity, their culture, their self-respect.
Professor Rex Nettleford tried his best to teach all of us the importance of our indigenous forms of expression to our cultural identity and purpose, our uniqueness, our self-respect and development.
No, we don’t want to sound like Trini. Antigua sweet music buried by our very own hands. Swallow wasn’t celebrated, his legacy was buried by the DJs and the crowds who passed by his house and who jumped and danced in the Fetes and the street parades to foreign music, never once sitting down in protest demanding that DJs honor and respect their own musical sounds.
Please Mr. DJ, Please Mr. Antiguan Promoters, stop killing we culture.
Time to celebrate our own culture, our own identity. Antiguan music is great too, it is not inferior. We are no copycats, we not no robots, we cannot succeed in mimicry, elevate your mind and Consciousness, a people without identity cannot survive.
Time to play ANTIGUA SWEET MUSIC IN DE FETE AND ON THE ROAD! We don’t want to sound like TRINI.
LEGGO DE BENNA
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Be real… DJs play what people want to hear. I was in a jouvert troupe and people hardly moved to the local music.
Reason being because the dj don’t play the local music often. On the artist they think popular, but do they know if they consistently play the local music people will know the song an who sing it
If they are experienced DJs, playing the right selection will get the crowd moving. I have seen persons dancing to antiguan music. So come up with some other flimsy excuse.
Mr. Weston, in a broad sense I think I understand the message you are trying to bring across but the following is the problem in my opinion: “Our music art form is now in the hands of two computers and DJ’s WHOSE CULTURAL SENSITIVITY IS AS DEAD AS A ROCK. Impermeable to the harm caused to a national cultural art form”.
If one is not ‘really’ taught the importance of our culture, how will one know the damage they are doing?
If the patrons demand ‘foreign music’ because they are not really clued into preserving our culture, the DJ’s are not to blame (my opinion).
If the owners of the different mas bands and fetes are not conscious themselves about preserving culture, how can they make demands of their DJ’s.
A ship without a rudder would just sail and move with the current.
All the relevant stakeholders need to make a commitment to continued sensitization about our culture.
Management of radio stations will have to design programs that are targeted to change mind-sets for foreign music that have been allowed to develop.
Blaming individuals who are not sensitized to culture preservation is not the answer.
Very rarely will a child be able to ride a bicycle unless they are taught to do so (I am just saying).
Benna is a thing of the past. Welcome to 2023. I don’t want to force myself to jam to songs I don’t like. The primary thing people want to do when they go out is HAVE FUN! Not worry about where an artist is from. If a song from a Trini artist drops and it’s sweet, people should keep their waist from swaying and their lips from singing because the artist isn’t Antiguan? Gimme a break.
In the 80s and 90s Burning Flames use to dominate carnival all over the Caribbean. Now the shoes is on the other foot, you crying…. Like really???? Now it’s time for you all to hear other people music. Just enjoy.
Hear you loud and clear, but it’s Antigua Carnival our culture, and I mean every country especially at carnival should embrace it’s culture None Antiguan living here, embraces there culture . Antiguans should do the same
Benna can never be a thing of the past. You sound ignorant!! It’s the genesis of what is OURS!! It birthed rhythms that fashioned ARWE SUBBEN that is now watered down by OTHER peoples sounds and what we now think of as “popular” beats. As a very famous and BRILLIANT MUSICIAN once said “if Kentucky nar change dem rhythm why should we??” We too like to IMITATE and that’s our problem that even down to our dialect is at risk with the constant inclusions of the likes of “unno” and “finna”. PLEASE ANTIGUANS LET US PRESERVE US AND STOP GRAVITATE AND MORPH INTO EVERYONE ELSE, WE R RUNNING A RISK OF LOSING WHAT MAKES US ANTIGUANS/BARBUDANS
Correction: if Kentucky nar change the recipe
Its carnival in antigua, why would you play foreign music?
Antigua carnival, our local music should be featured!
This is not rocket science🤔
The mass camps should put an emphasis on our music and our promoters should follow suit..
Otherwise I agree with you
Our music is dead!
@Chups
Do you think that this only affects Carnival music alone?
Can’t you see the toll all this diversity is taking on this little country? Where else you find a little ass place have everybody who come from where they come from running everything and pushing the people to the back?
Even sabotaging their culture?
Do you realize we Antiguans cannot criticize what we don’t like happening about our place because the ones who come in and especially some of ours cussing the hell out of us?
Do you realize that soon an Antiguan will be an endangered specie in the land of his birth? Do you think you can go to Jamaica and just play your Antiguan music at a party in Jamaica? Even if the party is for an Antiguan?
One day we will all wake up and start to wonder where we live and who this place really belongs to. Because right now we can’t be sure. All the so call good Carnival fetes now have nothing to do with Antiguan culture and everything to do with big time promoters who don’t give a fig about our culture and just raking in the money with their $400 admission tickets.
All the children know is about tee shirt mass that don’t have a damn thing to do with any Carnival and culture.
So you say they are playing music people want to hear. You ‘re thinking about having fun today and not worrying about where your next meal coming from. You’re thinking to hell with culture. You just want to enjoy yourself.
You believe that you will always be a young man looking for fun and don’t have to care how tomorrow will look. When reality hits, you will be the first to start to complain about how you can’t find a space in your own country.
The only thing is by then it will no longer be yours. You will be a run and fetcher for the new masters.
We are already an endangered species not now long time
THIS‼️
It’s pitiful that many can’t see beyond their noses because as you so rightly said we already have a generation that knows nothing but T-shirt mas and so the loss is already great. The self proclaimed “Mecca” Trinidad STILL TO THIS SAY offer Kings and Queens of the band beautifully made wire bent costumes sharing the space with the feathers and strings bikini mas but other than Queen of Carnival and the likes of Rockers mas troupe (who’s holding on for dear life to OUR culture) where else do you see the beauty of the talent on display with a cultural piece. No where. All u see these days is ass!! Real, Made in DR, Lopsided that’s all you see. There has to be more to display Antigua.
Were you vocal in the past pertaining to these issues?
Were you vocal when your leader make some decisions in the name of tourism to benefit himself and some foreign tricksters not the country as a whole. If you were not , I think you should remain in the observation seat only
Better late than never 🤡
Such foolish utterance stupes
Typical that someone would bring politicians into the debate. We just can’t help ourselves can we?
Anyways, Capitalism has overtaken our carnival celebrations. You hear mas players blatantly say, “Me nah pay so much money fu hear only Antiguan music”. This is where the meat of the matter lies.
I like the post that made reference to Trinidad still offering their traditional wire bended customes and Kings and Queens of the band. So while we allowed capitalism to take over our celebrations and our band leaders follow the Trini trend, our culture is slowly being lost, while theirs remain firmly rooted. Fair Antigua and Barbuda.
Trinidad pass a law some years that no foreigner can win ROAD MARCH. That sums up the argument! Short Shirt put licks on them and they woke up.
them. Not in our sweet “TNT.”
I love Swallow. One of the all time greats of the Calypso beat and Soca early tunes like “Satan Coming Down.” Swallow had to hone his skills in Trinidad. “Fire in de back seat” was
Composed for a Trinidad audience. Listen to the lyrics and rhythm.
Our local artists need to learn how to compose, arrange and present the art form. The Bear made reference to all what you have said. It has come
to past.
High time to take politics out of musical expression and allow the artist to sing about what is going on in our society. UPP never stopped a song from being played. “A coming down to talk to you .” Was banned from the air waves. Now we have a government who’s members and leaders are too thin skinned to take the heat.
Then, Lenox Weston, if Antigua Music is under attack, fight back. Just don’t stand there and #tek_blow. Isn’t that what people, insects, animals even plants do? They not only fight back, they attack!
A couple of things…
1…the overall culture is not taught from preschool to University.
2…the audience for Antigua music is minuscule, couple this with how music is distributed and purchased from APPS to downloads, there’s very little financial gain for hard hard work. Heck, unless you place or win there’s no money for you, and to those who wins, at times funding is slow to hit the Cash_App.
3…the foreign music which is attacking and murdering Antigua Music is played all year round. 100% of International Shows have foreign artiste as the Headliner.
4…the culture of Antigua is now being heavily influenced by foreign habits from mode of dress to relationships to family structure. The main culprit is Social Media to Immigration.
5…as a matter of fact, the whole carnival seems to be under attack. The carnival is now promoted as a Tourism Product, and rightly so, it’s economics, and the international audience(s) wants what’s #TRENDY & #TRENDING internally, and it ain’t Antigua Music.
Melchesidic suggested in an earlier comment from another topic, that fusing AFRO_BEAT with the RYTHMN BOX may not be a bad idea.
Sitting around and complaining ain’t gonna cause no positive movement in the right direction.
Ras Smood aka Jumbee_Picknee
De ‘ole Dutty Peg🦶🏿Garrat_Bastard
Vere C. Edwards
Smh Antigua Music Is Full Of Shit Everyone Here Making The Same Shit Right Now What Your Saying Doesn’t Make Any Sense See With Trini Artist Now They Come Out With Something Different Every Year The Dj Plays What People Wanna Here Get Ahold Of Yourself Down Here Just Full Of Shit
You and your whole statement more full of shit. What different music TNT come out with mi love?? Because for decades we been doing nothing but jump and wave with them. So help meh??
This is some crazy shit, but this is where the Carnival association comes in, by making it absolutely clear no foreign music during our parades Monday -Tuesday. It’s as if mass camps took over carnival and what ever they say or want they get. I remembered when Jouvert used to go till noon and we had time to go home and return in all colors for Mondays parade, now Monday has become a I don’t know what, where you find a day packed with music from all over hitting our streets and most of the mass players just walking to the beat. A mean I’ve been and seen carnival all over and Wadadli is the only carnival where so many outside music take over, now if you invite a band then I can see them playing their own tune, on the other hand how many of our bands are being invited to take part in other carnivals? By the way are we running out of jam bands, bands on a whole or the trucks are too expensive to set up? I remembered heading to Miami carnival one year, Vaugn Walter was the MC on the big stage that Sunday and not one Antigua music was played, I ask him afterwards what’s the deal? He replied “I just follow the organizes”. Our organizers and association have to put their feet down.
From this whole entire article, your just ranting like a child “Antiguan music is dead”, like seriously. Your attacking Dj’s for providing entertainment that patrons are reacting too, and enjoying themselves. So basically from this whole article, because “OLD” music was not played from the older generation basically Calypso, which wasn’t played enough “to your liking” means Antiguan music is dead????
Be realistic, your ranting because YOUR preference of music wasn’t played, and to generate a whole article over that, it’s just petty. So what about all the Tian, Ricardo, Claudette, Tizzy, Young Lyrics, G Eve, Rattigan, Dior, and many many more LOCAL artist which Dj’s played constantly, they don’t count into Antiguan culture?
This entire article is rubbish at it finest. Antiguan music and culture is alive and kicking, but you people who live in the past and can’t get out, are the ones KILLING Antiguan culture.
Dear Mr Dj
Get out your feelings‼️ Too many of you during this ENTIRE discourse too busy being little bitches and not listening. It has nothing to do with who OLD AND STUCK IN THE PAST. Y’all can do better and it doesn’t start in April or may when an artist sends in his/her music. Many of u work on the radios and it is a PROVEN FACT that come Wednesday the very day after carnival we revert to little Jamaica with dancehall and its filth permeating the airwaves. You mentioned artistes that you played yes but outside of those considered the “top tier runners” you get limited reactions, why??? Because di neyga you a play for na use to hear u ah play dem subben so dem go bar or walk til you play wah Aryou ACCUSTOM TO FEED DEM DAILY. I really don’t get how y’all have issues playing an Antiguan oldie but you will go into the annals for Trini classics. THAT ONE ALWAYS BAFFLE ME. Get creative jus like aryou mean DRIFT MUST PLAY SO R YOU CLAP E RH PON A SOCA BEAT SO TOO CAN A SWALLOW OR A SLEEPY OR A DREAD AND THE BALD HEAD. SO NOW YALL HAVE WORK TO DO BCUS MUSIC DEY AND IF ALL ELSE FAILS JUST THROW ON ONE LIVE FLAMES. SO as me say get out the emotions LISTEN AND BE FUKN CREATIVE.
EXACTLY
Dear Mr Weston,
It was your policies while in government that has and is creating the destruction of the Antiguan Culture.
1 Your extremely LAX IMMIGRATION polices.
2 THE NEVER ENDING AMNESTY, NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN THE WORLD.
3 YOU SEE MR WESTON WHEN YOUR IMMIGRATION POLICES SHIFTED THE ANTIGUAN POPULATION TO 70% NON ANTIGUANS TO 30% ANTIGUANS THIS IS THE RESULT.
4 The foreigners wants to hear their music, simple.
5 THE Antiguan culture was weak, and you the politician failed to nurture it before you importing VOTES.
So you are the problem not the DJs only you.
6 You killed the sweet music of flames that Antiguans loved. You killed the Swallow, Jim, Short Shirt, Sting Ray, etc etc etc IT WAS YOUR DOING MR WESTON YOU KILLED OUR CULTURE AND WHAT WE ARE LEFT WITH IS NAKED MASS. Those larger islands are accustomed to their nakedness NEVER AN ANTIGUAN THING.
FIX THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM AND WATCH THE ANTIGUAN CULTURE REEMERGE.
“FIX THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM AND WATCH THE ANTIGUAN CULTURE REEMERGE”.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
You can’t get Antiguan music, food, people, language et al. The ALP has destroyed the country.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Well said Mr Weston. You deserve plaudits for stating an obvious truth ,however, Antigua has an obvious problem which will not be fixed easily, if ever. You stated that ‘ we are not copycats, not robots’. Wrong, wrong wrong. The obvious problem I had just referred to is that we are quite the opposite. We are indeed copycats and robots. It seems to be in our DNA to be those things. Here’s the thing: Antiguans have always subconsciously believed that was is foreign is better than our own; that is an inescapable fact and there’s no getting away from it and to be fair you must acknowledge that our native music at carnival and at Christmas was frowned upon by the powers-that-be many years ago and foreign music was extolled as a replacement. If it’s foreign it must be better, that is our way of thinking. We in the minority yearn for the days of string bands and John Bull and masquerades but alas, those days have long vanished into the mists of time. Today, it’s vulgarity and exhibitionism and self indulgence. Those are now the masters of carnival. Nostalgic, perhaps, but we can only now say, “Those Were The Days”. The king is dead, long live the king.
Mr Lennox Weston
You are complaining about the fruits of you and your ABLP policies.
When Jamaican, Giyanese, and others can sing RAGA and end up in the SOCA monarch finals who do you blame, not you?
Check the lineage for most of these DJs, they are non Antiguans, who do you blame for this travesty Mr Weston?
It was your polices, your doing, not you trying to blame everybody else except yourself.
Melchesidec, you should be KNIGHTED in this country.
@Melchesidec, another person with the politics. Ok, since you want to go there, it was the UPP Administration that cut subsidies to Jam Bands forcing them off the streets during the Carnival celebrations. They also cut subsidies to traditional Mass troupes. There is enough blame to throw at political parties, but this should not be a partisan issue. Some of you all only say Carnival sweet when your party in power.
@Chups. I do agree that Benna is a thing of the past but so is the Antiguan society we knew also. I spent two days going through the jams looking for Spanish people who make up a third of our society; couldn’t find none. It was harder to find Jamaicans and Guyanese etc because of their skin colour but it was safe to assume not many of those who make up nearly half of our society want any part of our culture. So you get the point. But more to your point. We wont see another Burning Flames and that was quite evident when the young band that was on the stage after Flames’ honour started to play. They patronized the rythm box as Flames did but after that presented what I called, “neenee” music(from the Kentucky boys). No nice bass line, no good singing, no lovely keyboards as Sir Ongku would; and, not even a guitar! . So again the point is, and this is where Weston has to blame himself along with his party, the flooding of our society with people without any concern for their effects on it, is now showing its true face which is a watered down or dumbing down of standards in our Antigua society.
So now poster, it makes it easy for you to simply say, “Benna is a thing of the past”, without feeling any sense of loss to our Antigua culture. But that is not the only thing that is lost: our identity, our pride etc is all going down the drain. It is time to consider if all that is required is a “shake of waist”. To be sure that is not how, Trinidad, Barbados, St Vincent and the others see it, and it won’t be long before to enjoy a good cultural festival, we might have to travel elsewhere.
It is good to see that most of the commentators realize that the society, for the most part, takes the shape of a governing administration.
It is good to see that many are expressing the fact that successive A.L.P. Administrations Immigration policies have brought this country to the brink of ruination.
Of course immigrants will have to come to our island but immigrants’ taking over our island is a totally different story. That is just the facts and who bex dead.
Time for us to stop talking and begin to vote in our best interest.
Vote out the a.l.p.
@We Ready, 1000s got citizenship under the UPP’s Millennial Naturalization Act that was passed in 2004. With “free movement ” now a big thing, we cannot escape the fact that many will continue to come. The watering down of our carnival has nothing to do with immigrants.
Antigua is the only Caribbean island still participating in this caricom inter island nonsense!
Immigrants come and they bring they culture with them,
But in antigua we have completely
allowed them to take over our country and our culture..
Because of ablp policies this country will be ruined!
I’m a stranger in my little country
Sad 😔
The only way to support Antiguan artists is to support Antiguan artists. Give them better representation and resources and promote their work regionally and internationally.
I agree that countries like Jamaica and Trinidad are psychotically patriotic but a few years ago Mr. KILLA from Grenada gave EVERYbody a run for their money and he was a hit in Trinidad.
What is most disturbing to me is the morphing of the Antiguan sound to sound more like the songs that win in Trinidad. Why do we act like soca only belongs to them and they write all the rules governing it?
Pride in our culture must come with hard work and advocacy. Very few DJs here are well versed in music period so it doesn’t surprise me they have no sense of cultural reference. And are the DJs even antiguan? If not, they are going to have to make that extra effort to learn about the old faithful of Antiguan soca. Most of them are either too lazy or too comfortable to do so.
While most people would look at and conclude that we had a successful carnival, there are many aspects of carnival that need to be looked at with a view of revamping and improving it. The aspect of foreign music played is just one of them. The Minister of Creative Industries might well be advised to set up a committee to look at and make recommendations on every aspect of carnival going forward. The observation of Lennox Weston is true and cannot be overlooked and we must seek to protect the national flare and culture in our carnival festivities.
You should hav played Jouvert with Revellers from the north 99% of their playlist was Antiguan Music only.
DEAR MR. LENNOX WESTON, PEOPLE SAY IT’S NOT RIGHT TO KICK A MAN WHEN HE’S DOWN, BUT YOU HAD CAST THE FIRST STONE SO YOU DESERVE A RESPONSE.
MR.WESTON YOU WERE A MINISTER FOR YEARS, AND YOU WERE THE JUNIOR MINISTER OF FINANCE YOU WERE ALSO A CABINET MEMBER. WHAT SUGGSTION HAVE YOU EVER MADE TO YOUR COLLEAGUES TO PUSH THEM TOWARDS POLICIES THAT ARE FAVORABLE TO CARNIVAL?
YOU MR. WESTON WERE IN OFFICE WHEN YOUR COLLEAGUE MR. DARRYL MATTHEW THE MINISTER OF CARNIVAL MADE AN IDIOTIC STATEMENT PUBLICLY SAYING THAT IF THE LOCALS WANT THEIR SONGS TO BE PLAYED ON THE RADIO MAYBE THEY SHOULD PAY THE DJ’S TO PLAY THEM.
WE HAVE NOT HEARD A SINGLE STATEMENT FROM YOU LENNOX WESTON CONDEMNING YOUR COLLEAGUE FOR SUCH A STATEMENT IN THE INTEREST OF CULTURE.
I AM A CALYPSONIAN , AND NOT A MEDIOCRE ONE EITHER . I AM ONE OF ANTIGUA’S TOP CALYPSONIAN , AND I DO NOT BLAME THE PROMOTERS OR THE DJ’S I BLAME YOUR GOVERNMENT’S POLICY TOWARDS CULTURE, MR WESTON . SO LET ME ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS?
WHEN YOU WERE JUNIOR MINISTER OF FINANCE , WHY DIDN’T YOU MAKE SURE THAT THE CARNIVAL BUDGETARY ALLOCATION WAS IN TACT?
DIDN’T IT BOTHER YOU MR WESTON WHEN YEAR AFTER YEAR CALYPSONIANS AND OTHER ARTISTES HAD TO WAIT 12 MONTHS TO BE PAID?
MR WESTON , WHEN YOU WERE JUNIOR MINISTER OF FINANCE YOU COULD FIND THE MONEY FOR HOSTING AND PAYING ARTISTES FOR YOUR ONE NATIONS CONCERT
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE LOCAL ARTISTES MR WESTON?
WHERE IS THE URGENCY IN PAYING THEM MR WESTON?
MR WESTON YOU WERE ON THE INSIDE AND WHILE BEING THERE YOU SHOWED NO INTEREST IN THE LOCAL ARTISTS IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE THAT THEY WERE BEING PAID ON TIME, AND FOR THE RECORD YOU MR WESTON DO NOT HAVE TO BE THE MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR CARNIVAL TO MAKE SURE THE ARTISTE GET PAID, THE MINISTER OF CARNIVAL DEPEND AND RELY ON YOU MR WESTON JUNIOR MINISTER OF FINANCE TO FIND HIM THE MONEY.
NOW YOU ARE ON THE OUTSIDE YOU ARE TOO CONCERNED ABOUT OUR DYING CULTURE, BUT YOU LENNOX
WESTON HAS PLAYED YOUR PART WHEN YOU WERE IN GOVERNMENT IN KILLING AND STIFLYING CARNIVAL CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN ANTIGUA .
LABOR PARTY ONLY LOVE CALYPSONIANS WHEN THEY SING PATRIOTIC SONGS.
LABOR PARTY ONLY LOVE ANTIGUA CALYPSONIANS WHEN IT IS ELECTION TIME AND THEY NEED A POLITICAL JINGLE.
LABOR PARTY ONLY LOVE CALYPSONIANS WHEN THEY SING SONGS BASHING UPP BUT OUTSIDE OF THAT ANTIGUA LABOR PARTY POLITICIANS DON’T GIVE A SHIT IF ANTIGUA CALYPSONIANS DROP DEAD.
A LONG TIME AGO I USED TO CONSIDER MYSELF A VC BIRD ALP SUPPORTER, BUT UNDER THIS GASTON BROWNE ADMINISTRATION GASTON BROWNE APPEARS TO HATE INDIGENOUS ANTIGUANS OR ANYTHING ANTIGUAN. THIS IS NOT SPECULATION, THIS IS A FACT, AS A MATTER OF FACT GASTON BROWNE EVEN CRITICISED OUR PINEAPPLE INDUSTRY SAYING AND I QUOTE ” ANTIGUA BLACK PINEAPPLE IS NOT ALL WHAT PEOPLE SAY IT IS, FRANKLY ST.LUCIA PINEAPPLE TASTE BETTER”.
THOSE WERE HIS WORDS.
SO MR WESTON YOU HAVE TO BE CONSISENT IN YOUR ALL OF A SUDDEN LOVE FOR OUR CULTURE.
ENCLOSING
I’M NOT A LABOR PARTY SUPPORTER, I LEFT THAT PARTY YEARS AGO,
I’M NOT A UPP SUPPORTER EITHER, BUT I WOULD VOTE FOR THE UPP IN A HEARTBEAT BECAUSE THEY ARE BETTER FOR OUR COUNTRY AND BETTER FOR OUR CULTURE.
WHERE’S THE PROOF, HERE IT IS.
IN 2003 LESTER BIRD GIVE $250,000 TO RUN CARNIVAL THIS IS A FACT.
ONE YEAR LATER IN 2004 HAROLD LOVELL GAVE THE COMMITTEE 5 MILLION DOLLRS TO RUN CARNIVAL AND HE GAVE THE CALYPSO ASSOCIATION 50,000 TO SET UP AN OFFICE, THAT HAS NEVER EVER BEEN DONE IN THE HISTORY OF ANTIGUA CULTURE OR CARNIVAL AND THIS IS NOT SPECULATION THESE ARE THE FACTS.
NEED I SAY MORE.
SHOCK THE SYSTEM…
When you SHOCK😦😧🙀😨😯😲🙊😮🤯🫢😬anything, and instantaneous REACTION to the SHOCK is not only dramatic, it changes the balance of the entity been SHOCKED!
Examples:
A…a person experiencing a medical emergency can be SHOCKED causing the body to react instantly. A defibrillator does what?
B…a dead car whose battery cannot start the engine get jumped or hotshot(neither bangers style nor bug spray) to assist the weak battery.
C…a person at deaths door from an opioid overdose gets SHOCKED with another drug to avoid total death.
EMANCIPATION MONDAY & TUESDAY MUST BE SHOCKED TO REVIVE THE ANTIGUA CULTURE.
1…after Jouvert finishes at 12 Noon, NO OTHER BANDS OTHER THAN STEELBANDS are allowed on the Road until MIDNIGHT the TUESDAY.
2…ALL MAS BANDS LARGE, SMALL or in between MUST be accompanied by a Steelband playing ANTIGUA MUSIC.
…….(i) for the booming sound which is put out by big bands, sound systems etc can be accomplished by steelbands, by wiring the sections with microphones sent to a MIXER and redistributed, as in the MASTER CONTROL BOARD and sent to the same style speakers used by SOUND SYSTEMS(Sound Systems can lease their systems to the steelband just for this purpose.
2…NO PERMITS are to be issued for NO FETES, anywhere on the island between the end of Jouvert to the end of LAST LAP. The following weekend can be for SOUND SYSTEM STREET JAMS. No parades just setting up a various locations all over the Country.
3…stagger the TUESDAY MAS PARADE through to LAST LAP, so that NIGHT MAS can be added to the Show.
4…THE MAJOR PRIZE MONIES MUST GO TO THE TROUPES, MAS BANDS etc which depicts OUR CULTURE, HERITAGE in at least 80% of their THEME for the year.
#SHOCK THE SYSTEM!
#SAVE DE_CULTURE!
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De ‘ole Dutty Peg🦶🏿Garrat_Bastard
Vere Cornwall Edwards
Just say there are two 2’s, check fu dat, but read de message!
Wow!!…Love the diversity of opinion and engagement on the issue without being too acrimonious and insulative.
It helps that this was written by a former Minister of Parliament and longtime civil servant.
There are so much to unpack here; but this is arguable a subject matter that has many layers.
Is the former Minister and music creator stuck in a music period and genre of music that the younger generations have no interest?
Is Mr. Weston’s generation turned off by music that the Gate keepers that they brought into Antigua finds more profitable.
Examining who are the gate keepers is fundamental in preserving our culture. Outsiders who are gate keepers may enjoy a higher standard of living than in their own Island/Country, but they have no responsibility or interest in preserving anything uniquely Antiguan.
Can we use this as a teachable moment to analyze where we are culturally, not just in music.
Many times, an individual sees the light and go through a transformation and is willing to criticize something that they contributed to building.
I encourage Mr. Weston to be a statesman; and don’t be afraid to question or criticize many of institutions that he has helped to build.
We have to realize that change must come about. This is a new era of music appreciation and taste. So we have to accept that people are the ones who decide what they want to hear. Plain and simple. I love Burning Flames just like I love WCK.
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