Board of Directors: Yvette Rennie - President, Victor Mongo - Vice-President, Susan Leung-Yuen - Secretary, Lynette Pascall - Treasurer, Philip Pegus - PRO -- Committee members: Nigel Hunte, St. Clair Simeon, Kwame Rennie, Joel Hunte
STATEMENT BY YVETTE RENNIE - PRESIDENT, J’OUVERT CITY INTERNATIONAL
J’Ouvert City International kicked off its 2018 celebration by honoring 25 individuals from our community who have worked hard behind the scenes to ensure that our culture is maintained in Central Brooklyn. They were known as “J’Ouvert Cultural Ambassadors”.
J’Ouvert 2018 will go down in history as a splendid demonstration of heritage, national pride and community cooperation. The pre-dawn celebration which takes place in the heart of Central Brooklyn was incident-free. The participating bands of which there were more than 25 displayed exotic themes such as: Carenage Meets Wakanda, A Sailor’s Journey, All Hands on Deck, Colon Panama 507 and The Spirit Warriors. Included were several Steelband orchestras and Rhythm groups that filled the air with sweet musical sounds. It was a spectacular event to witness. However, the only thing marring this year’s celebration was the post-media reports maligning the festival with a barrage of negative publicity attempting to link us to violent crimes which took place far removed from the parade route.
At a pre-J’Ouvert press conference along with Mayor Bill de Blasio, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill and several other local elected officials, I, in my capacity of President of J’Ouvert City International, made a heartfelt appeal to the news media beckoning them to discontinue this practice of burying us under negativity by “blaming” us for violent incidents that did not take place on the parade route. The appeal was met with widespread support from those on whose ears it fell. Unfortunately, not so with our media outlets who on the morning after the parade reported that an incident which took place on Nostrand Avenue and St. Marks Place -- more than 10 blocks away from the parade route --was part of the J’Ouvert celebration. It is only after outcry from the community that two media outlets rescinded the news report making it clear that the incident was not associated with J’Ouvert.
So once again I am appealing to our news media – the producers, news directors, and reporters -- to give J’Ouvert and by extension the Eastern Parkway parade its just due. As a collective celebration the both parades attract more than three million people and is the largest outdoor event in the country. It is a testament to the peace-loving nature of Caribbean people that we are able to pull off two enormous festivals in one day without violent incident. It is a testament to the organizers working in cooperation with elected officials and law enforcement to ensure the safety of all those in attendance.
The time is rife for the news media to give the respect and courtesy to our Caribbean community with accurate reporting. But more so, give us the credit for working together with law enforcement to find solutions that would lend to us having incident free parades. So I implore the media to go below the surface of reporting about feathers, plumes and revelry. Our parades are so much more. So write the stories of our resilience, of individuals and bands of people staying up all night for months to create costumes and learn the music. Write the stories of people who despite having physical disabilities will make it to the parade just so they can wave their national flag showing that they are proud of their Caribbean heritage. Write the story that even in the absence of massive funding and attracting big sponsors, we put on a parade, in which not only us, but the entire city can be proud.
Moreover, write the story that J’Ouvert and Eastern Parkway parades fuel the City’s economy by collectively bringing in millions of dollars over a five-day period. I am happy that the parade was incident-free. And despite the negative reports of last year and the outcry about the then-newly-instituted security measures, the crowds returned to J’Ouvert. There was cooperation between police and civilians making this one of the best J’Ouvert ever.
So, here’s the headline of the story of J’Ouvert 2018: Triumph not tragedy!
Winning Traditional Mas - Carenage United - J’Ouvert 2018 - Brooklyn
LABOR DAY J’OUVERT – MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1st 2018
Video
Performances - J’Ouvert 2018
STEELBANDS
D’Radoes, Hearts of Steel, Despers USA, Legend
Stars, Port Of Spain Pan Groove,
The
Next Generation In Steel, Philadelphia Pan Stars and Pan Liberty
All Data provided by J’Ouvert City International, Inc. (JCI)
STEELBAND ‘BOMB’ Competition
Winning Steelband Bomb Competition - Pan Liberty - J’Ouvert 2018 - Brooklyn
| Results | Steelbands | Tune Played/Arranger | Points |
| 1st | Pan Liberty | Caribbean Queen - Reynold “Pro” Huggins | 269 |
| 2nd | The Next Generation In Steel | A Wonderful World - Jelani Fernando | 203 |
| 3rd | Legend Stars | Mora - Jeffery Pierre | 190 |
| 4th | Hearts of Steel | I Write This Letter – Tony Trebuse | 152 |
| 5th | Philadelphia Pan Stars | Sound Check - Yohan Popwell | 146 |
| 6th | Port of Spain Pan Groove | Beyond the Stars - Oscar Williams | 132 |
| Despers USA | Did not play a Bomb Tune | n/a | |
| D’Radoes | Did not play a Bomb Tune | n/a |
STEELBAND CALYPSO Competition
Winning Steelband Calypso Competition - Despers USA - J’Ouvert 2018 - Brooklyn
| Results | Steelbands | Tune Played/Arranger | Points |
| 1st | Despers USA | Year for Love - Odie Franklin | 356 |
| 2nd | Pan Liberty | Hello - Reynold “Pro” Huggins | 348 |
| 3rd | D’Radoes | Year for Love - B.J. Marcelle | 342 |
| 4th | The Next Generation In Steel | Hello - Iman Pascall | 333 |
| 5th | Hearts of Steel | Hello - Ryan Williams | 321 |
| 6th | Philadelphia Pan Stars | Year for Love - Yohan Popwell | 318 |
| 7th | Port of Spain Pan Groove | Madness - Oscar Williams | 307 |
| 8th | Legend Stars | Hello - Jefffery Pierre | 306 |
RHYTHM BANDS
New York Jab Jab, Kutters Rhythm, Paint
Army,
Spice Isle Rhythm, Steve Massive Rhythm, Sumkinabakanaal,
Real Jab Jab
Jab Jab - J’Ouvert 2018 - Brooklyn
| Results | Rhythm Bands | Points |
| 1st | Paint Army | 264 |
| 2nd | Sumkinabakanaal | 251 |
| 3rd | Spice Isle Rhythm | 249 |
| 4th | Steve Massive Rhythm | 234 |
| 5th | Kutters Rhythm | 229 |
| 6th | New York Jab Jab | 198 |
| 7th | Real Jab Jab | 180 |
MASQUERADE BANDS:
Wendell & Associates, Pagwah, 2J & Friends, Roy Pierre & Associates, Legend Stars, Green House Jab Jab, Oildowners, No Sleeping, New York Jab Jab, Barbara & Associates, Kutters Mas, Carenage United, The Real Jab Jab
FANCY OLD MAS:
Winning Fancy Old Mas Competition - Roy Pierre & Associates - J’Ouvert 2018 - Brooklyn
| Results | Mas bands | Portrayals | Points |
| 1st | Roy Pierre & Associates | All Hands On Deck | 385 |
| 2nd | Pagwah | The Spirits Warriors | 380 |
| 3rd | 2 J & Friends | Colon Panama 507 | 340 |
| 4th | Legend Stars | Tout Baggi | 245 |
| 5th | Barbara & Associates | Life’s Ah Jungle | 240 |
| 6th | Kutters | The Sprits That Live In The Mangrove | 215 |
TRADITIONAL OLE MAS:
Winning traditional Old Mas Competition - Carenage United - J’Ouvert 2018 - Brooklyn
| Results | Mas bands | Portrayal | Points |
| 1st | Carenage United | Carenage Meets Wakanda | 345 |
| 2nd | No Sleeping & Wendell & Associates | A Sailor’s Journey to Egypt | 340 |
| 3rd | Oildowners | Who Is Mad | 335 |
| 4th | Greenhouse Jab Jab | The Agony Of The Heat | 330 |
| 5th | The Real Jab Jab | 260 | |
| 6th | New York Jab Jab | 220 |
INDIVIDUALS - MALE
| Results | Bands | Individuals | Portrayals | Points |
| 1st | 2 J & Friends | Kendell Julien | El Man Manuel Noriega | 335 |
| 2nd | Roy Pierre & Associates-John Anderson | Eric the Viking | John Anderson | 325 |
| 2nd | Pagwah | Tribute to African Tribal Warriors | Curtis Noel | 325 |
| 3rd | Carenage United | Black Panther of Wakanda | Herman Gillman | 305 |
INDIVIDUALS - FEMALE
Winning Individual Female - Sandra Bell - Pagwah - J’Ouvert 2018 - Brooklyn
| Results | Bands | Individuals | Portrayals | Points |
| 1st | Pagwah | Sandra Bell | The Spirits Warriors | 350 |
| 2nd | 2 J & Friends | Janet Lewis – 1st Lady | Lorena Castillo de Valera | 345 |
| 2nd | Carenage United | Magajiya from the Kingdom of Carenage | Debbie Lawrence | 345 |
| 3rd | Roy Pierre & Associates-John Anderson | Lasertha Viking Warrior Woman | Carol Corridon | 340 |
| 4th | Kutters | 160 |
Flag Waver
Winning Flag Waver - Elizabeth Taylor - Carenage United - J’Ouvert 2018 - Brooklyn
| Results | Bands | Individuals | Points |
| 1st | Carenage United | Elizabeth Taylor | 180 |
| 2nd | Pagwah | June Bristone | 140 |
| 3rd | Despers USA | Najami Lazama | 110 |
| 3rd | Hearts of Steel | Jennie | 110 |
From the News Desk of J’Ouvert City International
J’Ouvert in Pictures
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