Bajans can shape next Crop Over; NCF starts 2023 plan Loop Barbados

Black Immigrant Daily News

The culmination of Crop Over Festival was merely three weeks ago, but the National Cultural Foundation is already on the drawing board for 2023.

Amidst the buzz about this year’s Grand Kadooment route, the NCF will be leaving the decision up to the public.

During a press conference today the NCF’s West Terrace, St Michael headquarters, Minister with the responsibility for Culture in the Prime Minister’s Office, Senator Dr Shantal Munro-Knight, revealed that they will be reaching out to participants in the festival for their input.

“All Barbadians have a stake in terms of whether or not we have a successful Crop Over, and in that context immediately after this press conference, we will be releasing a survey to the public that will ask the public to input on the new route for Crop Over 2023,” Dr Munro-Knight declared while adding there will be a stakeholder survey as well.

Masqueraders, vendors and Barbadians who actively participate in the three-month festival will have a say, over the next three weeks.

The Minister added that the NCF was already in discussions with bandleaders for their opinions and recommendations for 2023.

“We want to be sure that for 2023 we have a festival that is as inclusive in terms of its design as we can make it. We are cognizant that we have worked with all of the stakeholders – the band leaders that we would have walked with in 2022 – we would continue to talk to them in 2023, but at the same time, we are cognisant that we have a multiplicity of stakeholders in the entirety of the Crop Over Festival. We want to have a process in which people can input, reflect on and make suggestions,” she noted.

Dr Munro-Knight stated that NCF should have the results of the survey by November.

“We are hoping that by November, the beginning of November, we will be able to come back to the people after we have had Cabinet’s approval to say this is what Crop Over 2023 will look like,” she indicated.

NCF chief executive officer, Carol Roberts-Reifer reported that this year’s festival was successful despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The events were “well attended” and “heavily endorsed”.

Many cried foul at the late announcement of the festival in May and several promoters shared concerns about the poor sponsorship, however, Roberts-Reifer stated that the private sector pulled through despite the turbulent economy.

“The sponsorship exceeded out expectations in this environment. COVID-19 is a health crisis but it is also an economic crisis….

“Within the context of global economic restrictions, we are very pleased with the level of sponsorship we have been able to procure,” said Roberts-Reifer.

Her comments were supported by Oneka Small, curator of the Central Bank Crop Over Visual Arts Exhibition, who described the patronage at the three-part showcase held at the Queen’s Park Gallery as “phenomenal”.

“One of the highlights of this show for me having worked in the cultural industries for a long time is the number of people who passed through Queen’s Park over the last couple of months.

For each of the shows so far, we have been averaging about 600 visitors…by the end of [the exhibit on] Saturday we are going to have at least 1, 800 people come to view visual arts in Barbados. And to me, that is fantastic, amazing, overwhelming.

“There was a strong feeling of inclusion of visual arts within the festival. We were part of events, we were there for other events…we really feel included. A lot of times the visual arts feel like they are on the outside but definitely for Crop Over 2022, there was a great feeling of inclusion,” Small added.

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