St. Maarten Carnival 2007
dubbed “short and sweet”
~ Ends on high note ~
PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten’s Carnival ends every year with a “last chance to dance” Jump-Up and the burning of King Momo, which is said to take away the sins committed during Carnival. This year’s fireworks display was a fitting conclusion to the annual event, as it also marked the first time Carnival had been hosted in the new Festival Village.
Six local bands and at least two DJs with their sound systems brought the capacity crowd to the village jumping and waving, while thousands more watched from the sides of Walter Nisbeth Road.
It was as if everyone living in Dutch St. Maarten had come out to join visitors from the French side and neighbouring islands to watch King Momo go up in flames. And when that was done and the announcement was made that No Limit Band had won the title of “Band of the Year,” the fireworks display was “the icing on the cake,” according to St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) President Fabiana Arnell She called this year’s Carnival celebration “short and sweet.”
In the end the sad look on the faces of the many children and adults showed that they had had a great Carnival 2007 and were sad to see it come to an end.
In summarising the two-week event, Arnell told The Daily Herald the overall celebration had been filled with many improvements, as in the high calibre of international shows delivered this year by promoters as well as in the performances of local artistes and the delivery of creative costumes by junior and senior troupe leaders.
She lamented, though, of the lack of proper standards of judging and said SCDF was considering embarking on a training course for persons interested in judging local shows and events. She said consideration was being given to inviting internationally renowned calypsonian and teacher Dr. Chalk Dust of Trinidad to host the seminar.
Another concern regarding this area was the fact that contestants in local events seemingly failed to respect the decisions of the selected judges, which made finding competent judges a difficult task, as they feared being attacked. She pointed to the Road March competition, in which there was a fracas after King T-Mo had been announced winner much to the disappointment of King Tempo fans, as an example of the problems with judging local events.
Regarding the new Festival Village, Arnell said had high praise for the venue. She said it had lifted the level of Carnival significantly on the international scene as well. The first two days with the booth holders and others adjusting to the venue were spent resolving minor glitches, but afterwards “it was smooth sailing.”
When the nine bands left Soualiga Boulevard this year on April 28 for the Jouvert Jump-Up, many were surprised that they took a left turn to Sucker Garden instead of right along Walter Nisbeth Road. This year’s celebration is believed to have been the biggest ever and with the addition of several DJs with their sound systems and the general good behaviour of the revellers, it was said to still be at a high level.
The new route, according to Arnell, was a joint decision of the police and SCDF and they were pleased with it, because fights that usually occurred on the final stretch on Sucker Garden Road had been easily averted. With the bands adhering more to rules of time and with Sheriff Security and the police controlling the flow of traffic, the event went smoothly around the pond and ended in Festival Village at a decent hour.
Arnell mention, though, that there had been some minor scuffles and said that one area of improvement needed was that young revellers had to learn that throwing powder, water and elbows during jump-ups only served to disrupt the event and make the celebration short-lived.
Security in general was excellent and Arnell said the Dream Team Police Unit assigned to the village 24 hours a day and led by Inspectors John and Reyna had done an excellent job, for which they should be commended.
Sheriff Security also performed excellently and the combination of security from both teams during especially the international shows was greatly appreciated, as everyone entering the village was searched for contraband and weapons.
Many who visited the village said they felt a sense of comfort after seeing so many police officers around and witnessing the searches firsthand. This let them feel more relaxed to celebrate.
SCDF will now have to deal with the financial aspect of Carnival, as the next few weeks will be spent paying bills and preparing for the prize-giving ceremony. Once this has been done, it is going to move straight into planning for the 2008 Carnival and brainstorming on “big plans” for the 40th anniversary of St. Maarten’s Carnival.
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