New York
-
“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire - Jack Frost nipping at your nose.” Ooops! Got caught up with the moment. Well, what do you expect with the city blanketed
with snow from the weekend storm and seasonal lights and decorations everywhere. In
the spirit of the season, indeed, one would have
expected the annual West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) award ceremony to be
a festive occasion.
On the contrary, it was quite subdued.
Everyone knows how that famous Christmas song goes -
“You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch!” And for a moment it looked like Mr. Grinch was about to get his
release from centuries of “bad talk.” A permanent replacement seemed
eminent for that mean old grouch. But with a mere four days to spare before Christmas, the West Indian American
Day Carnival Association held its award ceremony at Brooklyn’s Borough Hall
and avoided Christmas purgatory.
In fact When
Steel Talks (WST)
reported early last month, the extreme displeasure among
the steelpan music community with the then-announcement that
the expected prize monies won, were not available to be paid
out to the winners. WST also
- in an
opinion piece - outlined some major shortcomings of New
York steelband management as it relates to this matter.
In a
recent statement
released by WIADCA, Yolanda Lezama-Clark, president of the organization
had expressed optimism that the association would come through with its financial
commitment to the winning artists. Also in that statement, Lezama-Clark
said full cash awards would be forthcoming at the ceremony.
WIADCA
delivers
WIADCA did not
disappoint; as advertised,
prize monies were handed to
all the winners of New York Carnival 2009 who were present. On hand was a
handful of masquerade and steelband organizations that
included top prize winners
Sesame Flyers International and Pan
Sonatas Steel Orchestra. Sesame Flyers
International won Band of the Year for the 12th
consecutive year for their
colorful display of the theme -- Dazzle. Top prize in
the
New York 2009 Panorama competition went to Sonatas Steel
Orchestra for their rendition of
Bandoleros as arranged by
Yohan Powell. Also on hand was WIADCA president
Yolanda Lezama-Clark and Brooklyn Borough president
Marty Markowitz.
Polite
- but
not Happy
As the far less-than-excited attendees
piled into the dimly lit courtroom at Borough Hall, they walked past large portraits positioned at
90 degrees next to each other, of US President George Washington and US congress woman
Shirley Chisholm. This presented an interesting set-up for the following
proceedings. As one major mas person put it to When Steel Talks: “the money is
already spent,” and went on further to explain that she had already “placed the necessary orders for next
year’s presentations.” So there was nothing to jump up and down over the
late receipt of prizes.
|
Management of
Steelband and Masquerade organizations, WIADCA
leadership & the Brooklyn Borough President at Brooklyn
Borough Hall |
One rather annoyed
and disillusioned pan person said they could have easily
picked up their check at WIADCA’s offices, and they did not
need to come to the ceremony to do that. If the truth
be told, the event consisted of lots of clicking
and picture-taking and somewhat polite smiles, for WIADCA to
feature, once again, in the next year’s commemorative magazine
put out by the organization themselves, and to show off to
their sponsors. Which in fact has nothing to do with
the economic reality of the prize recipients - the crude
fact being that each “prize” received was in fact a
mere drop in the bucket - especially in the case of the
competing steelpan music organizations - to what they had each doled out in
advance, in an effort to bring to life their respective mas and
steelband presentations for the enjoyment of the masses.
In the case of the
steelband panorama championship, the question asked by many,
is “why can the prize monies not be
delivered on stage at the conclusion of the
steelband music panorama competition?” After all, this is
being done in Trinidad & Tobago - the home of the steelpan.
Sponsors/proponents of
prizes valued at tens of thousands of dollars, must consider
ways to balance contestants’ valid need for reassurance, and
indeed their right - about their [sponsors] ability to
fund promised prizes - and thus the cost of ensuring payment.
Alternately,
the organizers of the competition can
consider purchasing an insurance policy to guarantee the
prize money. Or, as is good business practice - funds can be placed
in a private
escrow account. It is illegal in many places to
commence a competition reputedly with prizes at stake - without the award/monies
placed in an escrow fund. In any regard this is
something that is solely within the domain of the
participants, sponsors and show promoters.
Queen’s Park
Savannah in Brooklyn - or Robbery in broad daylight - Markowitz
spills the beans
One of the more
interesting discourses or revelations of the night came from
Brooklyn Borough president Marty Markowitz, (who often jokes
that he is a ‘displaced Trini’) when he alluded to the fact that
he was actively seeking to utilize the future downtown
Brooklyn arena slated to be built for the NBA’s (National
Basketball Association) New Jersey
Net’s - as a place where the carnival competitions will take
place. In fact, Mr. Markowitz - speaking much more
as an entertainment and talent director/agent for the future arena
than a Brooklyn Borough President - called the new arena “our
Queen’s Park Savannah.” The Queen’s Park Savannah is
the largest open green space located in Port-of-Spain, the
capital of Trinidad and Tobago, with a perimeter of a little
over two miles. Markowitz went
on further to say the arena should be completed in late 2011
and would boast a seating capacity of 15,000 to 18,000 paying
attendees for the carnival competitions.
While Markowitz
said it was not his decision to make and alluded that it was
WIADCA’s prerogative, or up to the community to make that
assessment of such a
development/change, there was no dissent from the WIADCA
leadership present. From what appeared to be that tacit
agreement with Brooklyn Borough President Markowitz by WIADCA through this
‘peak’ into what appears to be serious consideration to ‘relocate’ the
carnival and related activities - it was safe to assume that Markowitz
himself would not have gleefully made public such a vision, and at such a
public affair - had there been any doubt as to the receptiveness of the idea
by WIADCA.
One prominent mas
organizer and member of the New York cultural intelligentsia present at the award event
spoke to When Steel Talks and vehemently objected to this notion
and concept of the carnival moving out of its original and
supporting community, Crown Heights and Eastern Parkway - to
be housed, or end up, in a downtown arena for 15,000 to 18,000
‘paying patrons in an arena.’ She went on further to pose the question
“who are these paying arena attendees, and where will they
come from?”
This announcement
by the Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz raises many issues and concerns about displacement
-
physically and monetarily - from the stake holders of the
event -- the community -- and its future.
What wrong
with this picture?
Here is what we know -
the scenario. The New Jersey Nets,
currently a
horribly-performing NBA franchise (who may very well set a new NBA record for
losing) is going to move into a new stadium that is being built for them with a
projected completion time of about late 2011 in Downtown Brooklyn. This, while the Labor Day Carnival, which has
generated billions for New York city over the years, will not be getting
its own entertainment center. With the money the carnival
has been generating,
one would think they would have built a “Carlos Lezama Entertainment Center” on Utica
Avenue and Eastern Parkway by now, with another one on Church and Nostrand
Avenues with plans for a third.
Instead - they are going to “rent” some time in the new home of the New
Jersey, soon-to-be New York Nets.
Does this not call for a carnival route change out of the community and off
Eastern Parkway? So instead of people saying “look the band coming” -
people from communities of the pan players, mas and costume builders and masqueraders will scream
“look
the bands gone!” Also gone will be what little economic and financial
benefits that filter directly into the pockets of the
thousands of Crown Heights community residents - from the carnival and related
activities. Who will be the ‘vendors’ in the arena?
And let’s not hold the ‘basket
explanation/bland assurance” that will flow from the lips of the city officials:
that the Crown Heights community putting on the show, will benefit even more
with the flagship parade along Eastern Parkway being restricted to the downtown
arena for paying patrons only.
As there are obviously deals already being made, one has to ask:
who is negotiating on behalf of the steelband fraternities? It seems
imperative that the New York steelband franchises get their lawyers and business
agents into the mix ASAP and get details in writing.
Stay tuned...
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