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« on: June 10, 2011, 06:05:12 PM »
I am aware the festival cannot run on sentiment or a sense of Diaspora Caribbean culture. However I do not believe I should be silent while my festival is appropriated and mis-branded.
Whatever fight the Caribana Arts Group has with the Festival Management Committee and the City of Toronto will be heard in the court of law. I have no control there. I was a member of the Caribana Cultural Committee around 1989-1994 and saw the cronyism and ugliness and I laughed. I thought it was funny. I dismissed it as a few greedy, shortsighted people messing around with my one day jump-up. I will take the blame for not speaking louder against the mess that accompanied each festival over the later years when I developed a voice as a journalist in the community. I still did not fully grasp that it was more than a few greedy people and that my one day jump-up was turning over hundreds of millions of dollars to the various levels of governments, the hotels, the restaurants, the taxis and all who were at the trough.
I feel raped when I think of the money the government hands over to the festival then turns around and claws back in fees for permits, police and other items so that what they boast of “giving” the festival is far far less than the reality. It means that I am wearing the Emperor’s New Clothes - even less than the beads and underwear that now pass for costumes.
So, despite our world renowned reputation for having a carnival mentality and for being only intelligent enough to lime and drink, I am protesting the insult in this, my 44th Caribana – yes CARIBANA, festival.
I am going to wear a shirt saying Caribana Belongs to We. It may do nothing more than earn me a dismissive glance from those who feel the dollar they give in sponsorship of my culture somehow gives them the right to own something that my ancestors created, but...
If you wish to get a tee shirt, email me at Macoomeh@hotmail.com. The shirt will cost me about $6.40 to prepare. It will cost you $6.40 plus postage from the US. My profit is zero, my determination is 100%. I would like to get the shirt in your hands before the official festival launch date of July 12th. I would like you to wash and wear it everywhere you go this summer – every launch, every fete, every boat-ride. Wear it and when people ask, explain why. Write a letter to every newspaper in the city too please. You have a voice, use it for more than singing “Wotless”.
Tell them call meh name. I go take de blame.
I will order 10 shirts tomorrow - June 11th, 2011. Some large, some XL.
The shirts will say "Caribana Belongs to We".
Let's see if we're really only about the party.