Gregory Fernandez, special adviser at Caribbean Prestige Foundation for the Performing Arts has called on the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led Government to rethink its position on the way forward for the entertainment industry in T&T. He said in order to move forward, there needs to be a deliberate and consistent channel of investment as well as new and enforced legislation to give the yet formalised industry an effective structure. "For an oil rich nation, where over the years more than half-a-trillion dollars has been spent in our budgets and probably the same amount or more extracted by foreign companies, there exist no funds for artiste development. We spend billions building Napa and Sapa and the like, yet there is no money for human resource development in the arts," he said.
Fernandez was speaking at Monday's launch of the Digicel International Power Soca Monarch, the Play Whe Groovy Soca Monarch and the Flavorite Supreme Ice Cream National Schools Soca Monarch Competition held at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, located on Dock Road, Port-of-Spain. Guardian Media Ltd is the official media partner for the event which marks its 20th year in 2012. He made the call before an audience that included CPF executive chairman William Munro, reigning International Power Soca Monarch Machel Montano, Arts and Multiculturalism Minister Winston "Gypsy" Peters, Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh and National Security Minister Brigadier (ret) John Sandy.
Barbados shows the way
"In Barbados, through the help from the state with a proper programme of management and support, they have been able to produce the Rihanna of today and many possibilities of tomorrow. In fact, Barbados now has about seven acts on the international stage," he said. Fernandez added: "In T&T, an island critically acclaimed for its talent, why is it we cannot make these breakthroughs? It is simple: the support is not there! Countless times I have seen the stage presence and listened to the beautiful voices of our people, only to see the majority of them fall off the horizon because the support just isn't there."
A foundation for the arts
As the Soca Monarch brand prepares to exit teenage life, CPF principals were of the view that they have earned the right to speak on behalf of the soca industry. "We are calling for an artiste development fund of $5 million dollars annually to be used for the development of our local artistes of all genres. With this fund, ten artistes would be selected each year and $500,000 will be invested in developing their talent and careers over a period of three years. That is the time I am suggesting it would take for the artistes to develop and hone their skills so that they can start earning the income which equates to their talent and which would redound to the benefit of T&T," said Fernandez. The foundation, he said, would acknowledge the importance of every soca artiste and set the stage budding entertainers to ignite with their creativity and talent.
Artistes underpaid
William Munro, executive chairman at CPF, he said, had long been advocating the need for artistes to receive adequate rewards. The first prize was increased to $1 million back in 2009. Two years later, the Prime Minister, delivering on an election campaign pledged doubled the prize. Machel Montano took home the first ever $2 million cash award. "Every artiste who reached the finals both the Power and Groovy competitions earned at least $100,000 for their effort. We do not treat with this lightly as it costs an artiste anywhere from $50,000 to produce their Soca Monarch final performance and given what they have spent in the semifinal to get to the final, in many cases they have made no money at all, but have done so to make T&T look good. There are many persons to be paid and lots of materials to be purchased for costuming and props. So, nobody should think that the artistes are being overpaid," Fernandez said.
Bring legislation for airtime for local artistes
The concept of artistes' development in T&T would remain a pipe dream until and unless artisans win favour with electronic media operators said Fernandez. He maintained that this category of entertainers cannot rise if they were shut out of their own local music market. "So I am advocating, once again, that we legislate for at least a 50 per cent share of radio time for our local artistes. We have enough talent here in T&T which includes producers and song writers, to more than fill the space. It is said that we are now a developed country, but in the developed countries like Canada, this is the legislation they have implemented and that is why they can produce artistes like Drake and Celine Dion," said Fernandez.
From the beginning...
Fernandez offered a vivid recollection on the birth of the Soca Monarch product. He said it was born into a baptism of fire and continued to operate under untenable conditions throughout its infant life and the greater part of its teenage years, too. The Spectrum, which was home of the event, located at mangrove at Invaders Bay, was pulled down by the National Alliance for Reconstruction government and environmentalists applauded the action by the State. But soon after, the now famous MovieTowne was erected, seemingly, without obstruction. The competition, however, continued and grew with just one corporate entity as its champion-Angostura. The spirits company sponsored the first prize, too, valued at $25,000. Austin "Super Blue" Lyons wrote himself into history as the maiden champion. He then went on to secure five more titles for a total of six-the most by any other contender in the 19-year history of the coveted event.
Before Fantastic Friday (on Carnival Friday) became the call sign for the Soca Monarch contest, rival promoters, it was said, did everything possible to squeeze the now signature event for the year out of T&T's national festival. CPF was haemorrhaging on its investments annually. "Promoters were adamant not to give Soca Monarch a space. Neither the traditional tent managers nor the traditional fete promoters co-operated. We had to fight tooth and nail with the support of artistes like All Rounder (Anthony Hendrickson, Black Stalin (Dr Leroy Calliste), Super Blue and Gypsy (Winston Peters), just to name a few, helped us fight for a space to accommodate the event," Fernandez recalled. Citing the growth of the product today, CPF officials were happy to communicate that corporate T&T and Government no longer immediately considered representatives at the outfit as "pests who were only coming to harass them".
New concept
Looking towards the future, officials at CPF are committed to making the joint monarch competition a made-for-television event. Showtime is half-an-hour earlier: 9 pm. The 2012 production, said Fernandez, would not be more than four-and-a-half hours of non-stop entertainment as the casts in both categories would be cut. Super Red 20...the energy continues was now the slogan for the event on February 17, advertised to take place at the Hasely Crawford National Stadium, in Woodbrook, Port-of-Spain.
The legends of soca will be honoured in a uniquely created segment called the Play Whe Tribute to the Classics. Icons up for kudos on this occasion are: Black Stalin (Dr Leroy Calliste), Explainer (Winston Henry) Baron (Timothy Watkins), and Nelson (Robert Nelson). Soca Monarch fans will be able to purchase tickets from tomorrow. Plans are in place to conver the car park of the venue into a Carnival village for a massive pre-showcase spectacular.