Black Immigrant Daily News

Xaymaca International CEO, Andrew Bellamy, has resigned from the popular carnival band.

He cited a non-alignment of the company goals and operations among the main reasons for his resignation.

“Despite countless meetings, efforts to improve our company’s financial position, mediation and the implementation of personally compromising strategies; my decision to resign effective immediately is a result of months of futile efforts to get to a consensus and/or support on the direction of the operations of the band with the majority of co-shareholders and board members,” Bellamy stated in a letter to the board chairman dated Wednesday, July 6, 2022.

The local shareholders of Xaymaca International Carnival Band are Akil Strachan, Ian Bourne, Kandi King, Mark Lalor, Richard Spence, Steven Lofters and Bellamy.

Bellamy noted that Xaymaca was his brainchild and dream for the past six years and that walking away from the brand is “heart-rending.”

“The Xaymaca International brand is STRONG with untapped potential; which is the paramount reason that myself and two other shareholders (Ian Bourne and Richard Spence) have been committed to keep the brand alive both financially and through economically viable business strategies since the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020. But without the commitment and consensus from all shareholders, the continuous positive trajectory of the brand will be diminished.”

The masqueraders who have put their trust in the Xaymaca Brand were also referenced in the letter from Bellamy.

“I am available to discuss the transition of my leadership and my plans to ensure our masqueraders over the past five years are appeased for the trust they placed in my personal brand and the one we sought to build through the Xaymaca International Carnival Experience.”

The letter concluded with Bellamy stating that his exit also comes when additional focus is needed for his other business endeavours as he seeks to expand and venture into new national entertainment projects.

The Xaymaca International carnival band had its first independent band launch in November 2017 and has participated in three consecutive road marches for Carnival in Jamaica.

Its band launch in November 2019 showcased costumes for carnival in 2020 but has not been utilised by masqueraders due to the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the band’s decision to not participate in the Carnival Road March on July 10, 2022.

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Antigua and Barbuda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. E.P Chet Greene has described this week’s CARICOM Summit held in Suriname as ‘one of the most productive’ such meetings he has ever attended.

Minister Greene said Caribbean people ought to be proud of the level of seriousness and commitment displayed by the leaders at the Summit that concluded on Tuesday.

“While Prime Minister Browne has spoken on the outcome of the meeting, having participated, I must say that I am buoyed by the level of camaraderie, by the expressions of solidarity and the embrace of the importance of having movement within and throughout the Caribbean. By movement am not just talking about the CSME, but am talking about airlifts and the movement of goods and services across the region. I think Caribbean leaders assembled in Suriname can take credit for the quality and content of their discourse,” Greene remarked.

He noted that the task is now up to the regional civil servants and technicians to ‘give life’ to the decisions made by the heads. He said it is a two-pronged approach; the heads formulating policies while the civil servants are charged with implementing those decisions.

He emphasized that as foreign minister he is fully on board with the vision as annunciated at the summit. He added that it was refreshing to have attended the meeting and to witness first-hand the commitment of the leaders to advance the cause of the integration movement.

“I have been to several of these meetings and I would tell you honestly that it was one of the more productive ones, more enlightening ones, more inspiring ones as I left there with a sense of hope in an environment of near-hopelessness as the pandemic did bring us close to that position,” he stated.

The foreign affairs minister was particularly pleased to observe Caribbean leaders with the capacity, capability and the willingness to formulate plans and programmes, much of which, he felt, are in concert with the people, noting that here in Antigua and Barbuda theirs is widespread support for the positions adopted by Prime Minister Browne at the summit.

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Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, says monkeypox is not a sexual transmitted disease, but is rather a virus that is transmitted through any close encounter.

In fact, the CMO is warning partygoers to exercise caution and avoid close contacts with other patrons, given the ease of transmission through close interaction.

Bisasor-McKenzie’s disclosure and subsequent warning came in the wake of some monkeypox cases overseas being identified in persons engaged in certain sexual practices.

In responding to a question on whether the sexual behaviour of the man who tested positive in Clarendon was being investigated, the CMO explained that while scientists were studying whether the virus is transmitted through sexual fluids, there has been no confirmation of that to date.

“First of all, monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease. The lesions and rashes – they can be present on any part of the body, including the genitalia. And therefore, they will spread through close personal contacts,” she informed.

“However, we have noted, and scientists all over the globe, have noted this connection, and are, of course, investigating this connection to see if there is actual transmission through sexual fluids. However, we have not had any confirmation of that as yet,” Bisasor-McKenzie indicated.

Still, she stressed that it is possible that close sexual contacts with rashes can pass on the virus to others.

“… But close contacts, including sexual contact, which we all know is close, will pass on the disease if it is that you have the vesicles present.

“So, I want to reassure the public that this is not a sexual transmitted disease. It is a close-contact transmission that can occur in any kind of close encounter,” the CMO declared.

In relation to whether the sexual history of the man who tested positive for monkeypox in Clarendon is being probed, she responded by indicating that, “A sexual history is a part of a medical history that every doctor takes in carrying out their history-taking and, of course, in doing public health investigations, we do pay particular attention to our history-taking, and make sure all our bases are covered.”

Turning to partygoers and persons looking forward to entertainment activities this summer, Bisasor-McKenzie advised them to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols in order to avoid contracting monkeypox.

“So for everybody who is planning to go out there and party, I should hope that they bear this in mind: that close contact is still something that is to be avoided, and to use your precautions – the wearing of masks, sanitising, (and) handwashing frequently to prevent contact,” she advised.

She also called on persons to stay home and desist from venturing to such events once they start developing symptoms of monkeypox, including lesions on the face, fever, body aches and chills.

“Once you recognise that you start to have a rash, then there is the possibility of monkeypox, (and) even more reason for you to stay home,” warned Bisasor-McKenzie.

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A policeman tries to put out a fire on Nelson Street, Port of Spain during protests by residents over the killing of three men by police at Independence Square, Port of Spain on Saturday. Photo by Ayanna Kinsale

THE Prime Minister said fiery protests such as those in east Port of Spain on Monday, could make everyone’s lives harder, even as he also acknowledged that people were pained by the circumstances that led to the protests.

He made the comment at the post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s in response to the protests which followed the police-involved shooting deaths of three young men in Port of Spain on Saturday.

The victims, Isaiah Roberts, 17, Leonardo Niko Williams, 17, and Fabien Richards, 21, were shot on Independence Square by police following a chase which started in Diego Martin.

Dr Rowley said he witnessed lawlessness on Monday which could affect the economy. He said some people believed that was how to talk to the Government or get into political office.

“Heaping more coals on our head, denying us a drink of water, or making it difficult for us to move lawfully from one place to another, in no way improves our circumstance.

“What we are required to do now as a people is to do what is sensible, what is useful, what is helpful, to reduce the amount of weight, the pressure that is on our shoulders. Every country in the world today is under some kind of pressure, much of it unanticipated, at this time. We are required to put our best foot forward.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. –

“So those kind of disturbances, we’re better than that.”

He elaborated in reply to a query from a reporter.

“There are things that happen that we expect not to happen, that we hope will not happen and circumstances don’t develop when these things happen.

“There is an investigation taking place and I would not want to comment too widely on it, but I would rather if that did not happen. We await the investigation and those investigations will tell us the extent to which it was an action that was avoidable, reasonable, illegal or legal.”

He said that was how a civilised society handled these things.

“I know that emotions are high. The loss of life, the loss of friends, the loss of family, the loss of community members, it brings pain.

“People feel that pain but we need to not create more pain for the wider society. Let us handle it in a civilised way, get to the bottom of it.

“We have instruments in place for dealing with that. Let us deal with that. We don’t encourage wrongdoing.”

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