‘Concerned calypsonians’ prepare
letter for Carnival foundation
~ Meeting with SCDF postponed ‘until further notice’ ~
PHILIPSBURG--Local Calypsonian Marvin “King Stunky” Dollison plans to hand-deliver to St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) today, Friday, a letter outlining the concerns of several of the island’s premier musicians.
This action comes two days after troupe leaders walked out of a meeting with the SCDF and one day after a planned meeting between calypsonians and the SCDF board was postponed “until further notice.” The letter is being copied to Culture Commissioner Louie Laveist and Head of Culture Department Louie Laveist for their perusal.
The organisers of St. Maarten Carnival had scheduled a meeting with these musicians for Thursday, but abruptly called it off just hours before the 7:00pm start time, leaving up in the air the points that these “concerned calypsonians” had intended to discuss.
Instead of the planned meeting with SCDF President Fabiana Arnell and her board, the calypsonians gathered outside the N.C. Wathey Building in Emmaplein in a show of solidarity with band and troupe leaders, who had threatened one evening earlier to boycott Carnival 2009 unless the current SCDF board resigned.
The letter from the calypsonians bears at least half a dozen signatures of musicians who agree with the points being presented to the foundation.
Dollison refused several times to reveal the contents of the letter drafted and signed by calypsonians without their representation at the Windward Islands Musicians Associations (WIMA), explaining that he would not talk about the letter publicly until SCDF saw it.
“Well, like I said, I am not discussing [the contents of the letter],” Dollison responded to prodding from reporters about the points the calypsonians were addressing to SCDF. “When they get the letter, we will make sure to send a copy to every media house.”
The Daily Herald understands from unconfirmed reports that the letter at least lists some grievances with SCDF that include non-payment of prizes to Carnival contest winners, among other issues.
Troupe leaders used a gathering with SCDF at the Government Administration Building on Wednesday to introduce the newly formed St. Maarten Troupe Association, hand over a letter with their complaints, and leave. Outside, they explained that they would not accept anything less than the resignation of the current SCDF board, or else they would not participate in next year’s Carnival.
This letter was copied to other high-level culture stakeholders. The association was notarised and made official on Monday afternoon, contrary to erroneous reports in Thursday’s edition of this newspaper.
Dollison flatly chose not to entertain any discussion about the calypsonians’ letter to SCDF or about possible actions the musicians might take. However, he contended that SCDF’s last-minute request for subsidy from the Island Government was a poor excuse for not being able to pay performers. “It is sad to request money at the last minute,” Dollison said.
Although the calypsonians are not ready to discuss their plans for Carnival’s 40th anniversary, the troupe leaders are maintaining their earlier position: the SCDF board cannot be allowed to continue running Carnival unilaterally and making decisions the troupe leaders say affect the event negatively.
Rio Productions’ Brenda Wathey called this year’s Carnival a “very, very tense” two weeks, sparked, she said, by a series of new policies from organisers that many believe kept revellers home and left Carnival stakeholders embittered.
She said compromise in this case was impossible. “In order to safeguard Carnival, we need fresh blood,” she told reporters at the Emmaplein gathering. “When you have so many people with issues with one group, there’s something fundamentally wrong.”
A non-competing Carnival float and costume designer, Wathey believes the stakeholders all have a vested interest in SCDF’s closely guarded financial statements. “We should be able to see the financial statements and see how the money is being spent,” she said.
However, Wathey insisted that these actions were not an attempt at being vindictive, but rather an expression of years of frustration over steadily worsening levels of communication. “This is not a personal vendetta,” Wathey said, explaining that Carnival had to remain fun, otherwise it would become a chore. “At the end of the day, it has to be pleasurable.”
Rio Productions will not participate if the SCDF board does not step down, and has received firm commitments from at least the island’s bands that they won’t perform. Local bands are only paid for performing the Carnival parades, which hinge on the presence of troupes.
