Carnival told to ‘get it together’

Baha Men founder Isaiah Taylor (centre) speaking yesterday, when he demanded to know who would headline the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

As of Wednesday, February 11, 2015

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE organisers of Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival yesterday came under fire from a top Bahamian entertainer who urged them “to get it together” as he suggested that politics was interfering with the Festival Commission as they carried out their duties.

Baha Men founder, Isaiah Taylor, further demanded to know which international entertainer would be performing during the week of activities.

At the Melia Nassau Beach hotel yesterday, the first round of local entertainers – which included, J Mitchell, T Connection, Visage and Baha Men – was announced for the Carnival. They are expected to take the stage for the Music Masters concert on May 8.

However, the press conference was sidetracked when Mr Taylor passionately demanded Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival organisers in the room to reveal with whom they were in negotiations.

As he ranted, many in the room lowered their heads while others looked on in disbelief.

“Baha Men is supposed to be opening up for a headliner,” Mr Taylor said.

“I want to know the name of the headliner not today … now.

“I need to know that because you put me in a bad position. I don’t like it.”

“You know we had Usher to open up for. Somewhere down the line someone messed that up. We had Janet Jackson to open up for (and) somewhere on down the line someone just decided they were going to jack that up.

“I know it is not the Commission, but it really makes the Commission look bad, also because people out there will look and say it is the Commission. They will say the Commission jacking every one up and it needs to stop.

“I want to know who is the headliner. I don’t want no one to skirt (or) to duck, give me the name. I will tell you press people something. If I don’t get it Baha Men will be having our own press (conference) with you guys.”

He said that, in the music business, performers should know for whom they are opening shows to ensure they are adequately prepared.

Asked if he was intimating that Baha Men would not perform as the opening act for the headliner unless the international artist was named, Mr Taylor said the group had an obligation to perform.

Paul Major, Bahamas National Festival Commission (BNFC) Chairman, said the concerns would be addressed. However, BNFC Chief Executive Officer Roscoe Dames said to reveal the headlining act at this point might compromise ongoing negotiations.

“At this juncture, regardless of who the headliner is, I am not at liberty to disclose that until the negotiations have been finalised,” Mr Dames said. “If we pre-empt that it may interfere with the negotiations. However Baha Men has been engaged to preform at the Music Masters Concert and in due time we will make the announcement.”

Last month, it was revealed that the members of the Carnival Commission were seeking to pay American pop star Janet Jackson $1.9m to perform during the week of activities, a proposal that was rejected by the government.

It was later speculated that the government was in talks with the management team of international singer Rihanna to perform.

However, to date, organisers have only promised to reveal the performer soon.

Mr Dames told the press yesterday that so far $1.7m of the festival’s $9m has already been spent. He said the expenditure had a Gross Domestic Product impact of $7m in the local community, impacting more than 200 businesses throughout the country.

duppyVAT 9 years, 9 months ago

It is good that a person with the gravitas of Isiah Taylor would call out the politicians on this so-called psuedo-cultural event. The cultural icons of our country should not be used as pawns by politicians looking for 2017 brownie points ............ say NO to cultural prostitution (Junkacarnival)

John 9 years, 9 months ago

With only three months out the headliner should have been confirmed and promotion of the event begun in earnest. Persons traveling from abroad have to schedule their time off, book flights and hotel rooms, and this is not easily done if they are travelling in groups. Also they will definitely not plan to attend an event where they don't know who the elephant in the room is. Also when booking an international artist at the last minute, the chances of getting them are slim to none, and the costs will shoot through the roof.

Girly 9 years, 9 months ago

And they were saying that "Junkanoo" organizers couldn't get it together LOLOL .

ohdrap4 9 years, 9 months ago

lol no matter what you call it they are still a bunch of junkanoos And as some radio caller pointed out:

Where is the carnival village being built?

is it on the same site as the bahamian amusement park that was supposed to open last year?

Girly 9 years, 9 months ago

LOL

Girly 9 years, 9 months ago

With less money the organizers of Junkanoo do a better job,smh.

Sickened 9 years, 9 months ago

Government messing things up yet again. They really are useless warts.

duppyVAT 9 years, 9 months ago

Not messing it up ........... its looking for kickbacks

Publius 9 years, 9 months ago

exactly, looking for kickbacks

TalRussell 9 years, 9 months ago

I'm sorry Isaiah, its all them at Carnival 2015 to blame. The natives can't take much more of of Pre Carnival 2015. Da pain it cuzing we head, increases by 10 degrees of pain, anytime anyone from Carnival opens their traps. And yes, PM and Ministers Obediah and Danny and Mr. Major, that certainly includes you.
Gotta luv how with only 65 days t go, before the official launch of Carnival 2015, the native opening act signed back in 2014 to open for the featured act, was forced into publicly asking what was never intended to embarrass anyone - but only for the Carnival 2015 organizing players, in name of Jesus, if not the taxpayers, to fess-up by shedding some light over the intentional darkness, about exactly why is it they are so damn reluctant about wowing taxpayers and tourists watching TV's in the their homelands, with the name of their 1.5 million dollar featured Carnival 2015 performer?
All Isaiah and his beloved Baha Comrades want to do, is to put on their best performance ever, and to party on with Carnival 2015. I wonder if it even dawns on the brains of the Carnival 2015 players, that you can so callously spend 9.5 million dollars, while the government forces the natives to pay VAT, especially the poor - when an alarming number of their children go to bed hungry. That you can spend 9.5 million dollars, when the Minister of Social Services can confirm that even teachers have become reliant on receiving benefits through the social services ministry.
What manner of a social a lack of conscious, does this government PLP cabinet meet around that cabinet table with.
Is there not just one PLP cabinet minister, willing to put an immediate stop to Carnival 2015 nonsense?

Baha Men - Night & Day

.........//https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXlzHjubkXg

asiseeit 9 years, 9 months ago

Although I do not subscribe to this carnival foolishness, I want it to work, for the simple fact we can not afford for it not to work. 9.5 million dollars of the peoples money can not be wasted. This is money that we do not have, it was borrowed and we are paying interest on it, think about that! These political croneys that are running this thing seem incompetent to say the least. Who is going to come to a carnival when no one knows anything about it. Where will it be held, what is the program of events, who is the entertainment? You want me to take time off work, buy a plane ticket, rent a hotel room, spend money on a costume, and I do not know whats going on? You think people are that free with their time and money, then you live in a different world. I tell you anything to do with the government of the Bahamas is a running joke! BUNCH OF CLOWNS!

TalRussell 9 years, 9 months ago

Comrade AsISeeit I wouldn’t want to characterize all Carnival 2015 planners, by panting them so broadly with a clown’s face. But I do have serious concerns, when the content of their circus act being played out in front of the media, also includes using a poorly written script which, falls far short of what a well written script is suppose to deliver like; make your audience laugh at themselves. But not, if its intended audience happens be targeting a 9.5 million dollar laugh, with every damn wasted red penny - pick-pocketed - from the financially challenged native taxpayers. Who in their right mind was it that approved paying headliner, a 1.5 flippin million dollars?
At no time in the Ministry of Tourism’s budget history, going back to big spender Sir Stafford, will you come across other human being, dead or live, who ever got paid anywhere close to 1.5 million dollars, to do anything for Bahamaland’s taxpayers? What makes Carnival 2015, so damn special? Okay, go ahead, maybe you can wrap your brains around this but this Comrade cannot.

Exactly where is there 6 million dollar budgeted Carnival 201Village under construction? Has any Tribune reader ever see it? Maybe the Tribune's News Editor, rather than acting in the role of Carnival 2015's "passive stenography," might want show her Tribune readers, a few pictures of the Carnival 2015 Village, she so giddily supports? Am I the only one finding this pretty damn strange, considering we are only 65 days way from carnival 2015 launch.
Who knows, maybe we are all suckers, too willing fall for 9.5 million dollars of NO damn evidence anywheremm its about become a reality in 65 days?

Alltoomuch 9 years, 9 months ago

Perhaps it is in Andros??

TalRussell 9 years, 9 months ago

Comrade I am not on island presently but I have family, friends and colleagues out driving around looking for this secret village over the past 3 days and you'd think it wouldn't be so hard spot?
Has any Tribune reader or Tribune's News Editor seen it? You'd think there would be photos? I told all my spotters to look for specially designed outhouse potty toilets, and they will have found Carnival Village 2015.
Why hasn't the Tribune published a single photo of a Carnival 2015 contract signing? Has anyone ever read a request for a submission of bids to be spent out of the 9.5 million dollars?

Am I the only one noticing, the Castro style suppressing of Carnival 2015, being actually under construction or development photos? isn't this the job of Bahamas Information Services, to keep the media informed?

ThisIsOurs 9 years, 9 months ago

Say the "secret" village, LOL

asiseeit 9 years, 9 months ago

This is the crux of the matter, nobody knows anything about anything. The only ones that have told us something are the actual groups and that was to showcase their little shiny costumes. Would you drop everything to go to a destination just to wear a costume? What is the schedule of events and where will these event be held? Why is the government holding this vital information as a state secret, do they not know themselves? If this is the level of organization attached to this event, it is already a failure. So comrade yes the event organizers are making themselves out to be clowns and not even good ones at that as nobody is laughing!

ThisIsOurs 9 years, 9 months ago

I am annoyed that the PM pulled out the "Vola and Gus" card. If Vola speaks for the entire Junkanoo community, why was Genesis formed? It's fally to jump off the cliff on his word alone. That's not knocking him, that's saying, listen to his point and then VERIFY. Stop listening to the same voices all the time.

Anyway, irrespective if who proposed the idea, the people you have executing it have done a really poor job in analysis and execution. From day one they dismissed the concerns of the Bahamian people. They've been wrong footed from the start. A gentleman made an excellent point today, he said these events should have the full support of the Bahamian public FIRST and THEN the tourists should be invited to share this experience with us, cause this what WE do. We didn't create this artificial thing to entice you here. There's some history and some meaning behind this celebration.

The attitude displayed by the Commission's spokespeople at the press conference yesterday was abysmal...the host actually said to one of the representatives "you could afford to cut your eye"...what is that? did the Commission send a spoiled child to represent them? Who cuts their eye when responding to a question at a press conference??? Even if they don't like the question...It's that attitude that is killing the commission , they refuse to LISTEN

thomas 9 years, 9 months ago

I thought it was in poor taste to mention someone who can no longer speak for himself.

thomas 9 years, 9 months ago

I thought it was in poor taste to mention someone who can no longer speak for himself.

ThisIsOurs 9 years, 9 months ago

Yeah, ducking for cover behind Gus Cooper, that doesn't look good

Girly 9 years, 9 months ago

Look here. I am just patiently waiting to see what they are going to invest in our Boxing Day and New Years Day Junkanoo Parades. PATIENTLY WAITING.

TalRussell 9 years, 9 months ago

Comrades by the time Carnival 2015, gets through with Ministers Obediah and Danny, along with Paul and Roscoe, they could very well, at the risk alienating hourly paid workers, be emailing their resumes to:
flip-a-burgercareers@mcdonadlsbahamas,com

duppyVAT 9 years, 9 months ago

Right now Perry is grabbing at straws with this Junkacarnival ........ he will throw his Ma under the bus to save face with this garbage act. Its another UR and BAMSI ...... tricks

Girly 9 years, 9 months ago

They are saying that Junkanoo is not marketable but it is.Tourist's love to rush in the parades.1.Why don't we make and sell the costumes that the dancers wear for the tourists to rush in.They say they want to sell carnival costumes,why don't make and sell the dancers costumes.2.The cowbell's,whistles,shoes,armbands etc all can be customized with the Bahamas colors to be sold to the tourist's as memorabilia.3.The bigger costumes may too big to market but the designers can make smaller ones.4.We can have foreign groups come in and compete in the parades.5.The music is awesome.We can have mass production and sell to tourists and the Bahamian public.All of these memorabilia can also be sold to Bahamians.JUNKANOO CAN BE MARKETED AND SUCCEED WITH GREATER EFFORT.A most recent You tuber is now a millionaire because he put effort into his brand.At first he only had a few likes( say 12 ) but now he has about 2-3 million likes and is a millionaire.We have to take time and effort into making Junkanoo more known.If we could make it to number one last year over Carnival with not that much marketing what will happen if we invest more money into it.

ThisIsOurs 9 years, 9 months ago

Completely agree, but who says that's not what's happening though? Not all the groups have launched.

Girly 9 years, 9 months ago

We just need to put more money into it.

ThisIsOurs 9 years, 9 months ago

Into Classic Junkanoo? That I definitely agree with. And maybe some oversight. Oversight is so tough in the Bahamas, it's not uncommon to have people accused /charged/fired for embezzling in charge of making sure money is used well. Just have a close PM/MP friend and you're set.

I'd like to hear more about who is getting commission for signing the Grammy artist. In my opinion no one should, that money should go right back to undercut the cost of the event.

Girly 9 years, 9 months ago

True

Sickened 9 years, 9 months ago

In Junkanoo, the second lap (on Bay Street) should be opened up to the fans. Can you imagine the fun locals and tourists would have if they could rush down Bay Street along with their favourite group? Have the judges only for the first full lap (i.e. Bay and Shirley) and then full rush out for the second with everyone included. Great fun!!!

TalRussell 9 years, 9 months ago

Comrades I am only into my second day reviewing under a protective cloud of top secrecy stacks "audited' figures from other nation's major Carnivals to try making some sense of Carnival 2015's millions, and no matter how much a Carnival taxpayers spending binge I go on, when put in its right prospective a 9.5 million dollars expenditure is simply not adding up.
So, stay reading your Tribune, cuz in due course, I should have finished adding and subtracting all my numbers. and I will Tribune blog my full: 'How in the hell, can you spend 9.5 million dollars, Carnival explosive bombshell." .
But i can report immediately, that NO WHERE have I ran across any expenditures for specially designed outhouse "Potty" toilets..

Sign in to comment

OpenID

The Tribune