Carnival 2014

[Deeks]

Brazil created the Sambadrome for the very same reason. But the Samba drome was built by the businesses not government. I was told that it is like an all inclusive. You pay your money and you get unlimited food and drinks. But there is so much you belly can take for ten hours of masquerade. Everything is on scheduled. No stragglers and band invaders. No bullshitting.  But there are parades in other parts of the city.

[Socapro]

Wikipedia have Machel Montano’s Ministry of Road listed as Roadmarch 2014. Can't find any definitive results.

Is that correct?

TBH I wouldn't be surprised if that entry was made before Carnival.

[pecan]

Wikipedia have Machel Montano’s Ministry of Road listed as Roadmarch 2014. Can't find any definitive results.

Is that correct?

TBH I wouldn't be surprised if that entry was made before Carnival.

I checked it .. was added at 4:05 on March 5th, 2014

[Bitter]

It wouldn't be carnival if somebody not vex...

Mistah Shak on Calypso Monarch judging: Lift shroud of secrecy
Published: Thursday, March 6, 2014
Yvonne Webb
http://www.guardian.co.tt/carnival/2014-03-06/mistah-shak-calypso-monarch-judging-lift-shroud-secrecy
 

Selvon “Mistah Shak” Noel, who placed third in this year’s National Calypso Monarch competition, is now calling for an overhaul of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) judging system. He made the call yesterday after saying he was told a National Carnival Commission (NCC) official indicated he was in front following Sunday’s Dimanche Gras show at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, but eventually ended up third, behind Roderick “Chucky” Gordon and Kurt Allen, after the results were doctored.
 
In an e-mail sent to undisclosed recipients yesterday, the Siparia bard said the NCC official told one of his friends: “D judges original scores really had yuh pardner Mistah Shak winning de monarch & Kurt 2nd!” The e-mail went on to claim that the NCC official said the fact that Gordon’s “stepmother” was on the judging panel swayed the results in his favour.

Noel sang Bois, one of the more popular songs in the semifinal and final, and Crime Round D Clock, while Gordon sang Weh Yuh Think and Wedding of De Century before an appreciative crowd on Sunday. However, the result was still being debated on the radio airwaves and across social networks yesterday, although there was still a division on whether the results were just. 

In an interview with the T&T Guardian, Noel said he was not going to demand to see the scoresheets as others in the past have done, but said he was standing by his claims. “As far as I am concerned, myself and all calypsonians and anybody concerned about calypso and culture, we need to do something about the transparency of calypso judging,” an upset Noel said. “They have done nothing to me personally, but everybody with a conscience, a brain and an understanding could see what really went on Sunday.”
 
Time for transparency
However, he called for major changes to bring about transparency in the judging process. In the first instance, he wants the judges to produce the scores immediately after calypsonians perform, as they do for athletes in the major events like the Olympics. “As soon as one singer sings and moves on, all the scores from all the judges should go up on a huge screen so everybody can see it,” he said.

“In this way, there can be no tampering with the scores after the fact. For people who want to do their own judging at home, they can be more certain of the transparency and keep better tabs on what is happening.” The second proposal is for calypsonians no longer competing to be part of the process. Saying he gave the claims validity because he had heard of manipulation of results in competitions before, Noel said, “There is no reason why you should take upwards of 45 minutes to an hour and a half to tabulate results.

“If the calypsonian is given a score as soon as they perform, it is a simple case of calculating numbers. I don’t see what should take so long, unless you leave right thinking people to think you cooking the books.” He said until such time as major changes are made to the judging process there would be no integrity in the judging of calypso. “Calypso has to have the belly and the fortitude to take such a courageous step and stop keeping the judging of calypso in this cloud of secrecy.”

TUCO/NCC deny claim
In an immediate response yesterday, TUCO president Lutalo “Brother Resistance” Masimba described the comments as unfortunate. Saying he knew Noel and had utmost respect for him, Masimba said, “It is unfortunate a competitor could make such allegations and I am a little embarrassed by the statements.” He also denied that the NCC had any involvement in the judging of the competition. “It is a TUCO run competition,” he said

NCC chairman Allison Demas also denied any involvement of her organisation in the process. “As chairman of NCC, I have no involvement in the judging process. I don’t know who is the official being referred to. I suggest you speak to TUCO, who is responsible for the selection of the judges and the judging of the Calypso Monarch Competition.”

[asylumseeker]

Ah fuh transparency, but less sure how responsible these comments are ... judging is a reflective process and that's likely part of the delayed process of reporting scores. It's more than just a judge's visceral reaction to a rendition. It's also about confirming the consistency of each score sheet with each judge's view of/feeling about overall performances. Judges should have time to think about each performance?

Is collaboration among judges permitted? Do they get to discuss each performance? Regardless, don't they have the right to "change" how they feel about a rendition?

Anyway, a system in which scores are entered right after performance, but are not visible to performers might be the way to go ... BUT, how would those scores be kept from the audience in attendance, presuming safety concerns, show disruption etc.?

Also, if yuh look at the bottom performers, yuh cyah really argue with the order ... no glaring issues, so why is there certainty that they got the bottom half correct and the top half not?

[Bitter]

It wouldn't be carnival if...

NCBA under fire as All Stars win
Published: Friday, March 7, 2014
Geisha Kowlessar
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2014-03-07/ncba-under-fire-all-stars-win-0


A decision by the National Carnival Bands Association’s (NCBA) judges to deduct points from a reported 25 large bands for failing to start at their first judging point in Woodbrook, is threatening to cast a shadow over Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars’ Band of the Year victory. In fact, the decision may have to be rescinded, as several affected bands yesterday signalled their intention to take the matter to court if the NCBA does not provide them with their scoresheets, nullify the decision and recount the scores. Trinidad All Stars was yesterday named the NCBA’s Band of the Year winner for its presentation of Sailors on Shore Leave at a Tropical Fiesta. The band, which lost this year’s National Panorama final by one point to Phase II Pan Groove, scored 2,365 points, beating Paparrazi Carnival’s Centerstage (2,048) and Legacy’s Nature’s Touch (1,976) into second and third respectively. The result also marked the first time in decades a traditional steelband had won the large band mas category.
 
However, Trini Revellers bandleader Dave Cameron was among the first to query the results after learning their portrayal of The Sultan’s Palace (1,585) had placed fourth. While congratulating Trinidad All Stars on the win, Cameron said he sent a letter to the chief judge asking for his scoresheet, as he believed there were discrepancies in the judging, and would decided his next move thereafter. “I can’t understand how the conventional bands could be so far back, especially when Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra have been coming out with the same thing every year. But I can’t do anything but congratulate All Stars because they won,” Cameron said. “I in this business long time. I believed I may have lost some marks, but the NCBA don’t come out and tell you anything. They just say, ‘Take that,’ and I am not taking that.” However, the T&T Guardian subsequently learned that several bands had been deducted as much as 50 points for not starting at Adam Smith Square, Woodbrook, which the NCBA designated as the first judging point along a new route this year.
 
25 bands affected
Contacted yesterday, bandleader Rosalind Gabriel confirmed her band was among 25 which started in downtown PoS. She said Dune Ali’s Carnival Players Stephen Derick’s D’ Midas T&T and Vanessa Forde’s Classix Productions were also deducted points for starting downtown. She said she would have a clearer idea today of the exact number of bands affected. Gabriel admitted she did not follow the NCBA’s designated route, which started in Woodbrook and ended at the Queen’s Park Savannah. Instead, she opted to use the route prescribed by Port-of-Spain mayor Raymond Tim Kee, which started downtown and ended at the Savannah. “If you disobey the route you lose 50 points. I am not in the results anywhere from one to five or even one to six. Every year I win a title, so for me not placing at all is impossible. I am not the only one who suffered this fate,” Gabriel said. She said her decision to start downtown was based on a number of issues, including masqueraders having to travel to Woodbrook upon reaching Port-of-Spain.
 
“We have bands coming from as far as Mayaro and it is unfair for them when they reach City Gate to leave downtown to travel with their costumes and what have you to Woodbrook. “The wind factor was another issue, traffic congestion and Woodbrook residents having to undergo another day of Carnival,” Gabriel added. She said she retained attorney Michael Quamina and intends to obtain a copy of her scoresheet before considering her options. Also contacted last evening, president of the T&T Carnival Bands Association Gerard Weekes confirmed several of his members were affected by the decision. He said while his band was not affected, as he followed the prescribed route, it should not matter how bands like Gabriel’s got to the Savannah once they passed all the judging points.
 
“It doesn’t matter whether she (Gabriel) started in downtown or at Woodbrook. Once she got to the savannah she should have been equally judged and she has a right to request her scoresheet,” Weekes said. “For Trini Revellers it’s a different case. They are requesting their scoresheet to determine where they lost points and why.” He added, “Someone needs to say who are the judges and what criteria they used. ...The NCBA must be held accountable.”  He said while he had nothing against All Stars winning, he wondered how they could emerge on top in the creativity category. “What they did certainly was by no means creative. Buying a sailor hat and putting two apples in it is not creative. That says a lot, especially to us who have spent many tireless hours producing,” Weekes said.

[Bitter]

2 bandleaders demand score sheets
Saturday, March 8 2014
http://newsday.co.tt/news/0,191598.html

BANDLEADERS Rosalind Gabriel and Ronnie McIntosh have issued letters via their lawyers to the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA) demanding their score sheets and querying their reported disqualifications. Gabriel is also calling for the Government’s intervention to stop the “runaway” organisation.

“The Government has given the authority to the NCBA to be the body in charge of mas. They are supposed to be the custodian for mas and for the culture. But the NCBA is a runaway renegade organisation with a dictator (president David Lopez) in charge of it,” Gabriel told Newsday.

“So the Government and the NCC (National Carnival Commission) are supposed to step in and do something about it,” she said.

She reported that yesterday her lawyer Michael Quamina issued a letter to the NCBA requesting that her band’s score sheet for Carnival 2014 be provided “promptly”. She noted that her large band is usually among the winners in all the categories but this year we do not see any evidence that they were in winner’s row in any category.

McIntosh, together with Ronnie and Caro the mas band’s co-bandleader and wife Caroline, issued a similar letter to NCBA at 10 am yesterday requesting their score sheet by 3 pm. Up to news time it was not clear whether the NCBA had responded.

The band won the Downtown Large Band of the Year title but failed to place in the top six for the overall band of the year, which was won by Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars. He congratulated All Stars and all the winners from the various categories but noted “we want to get some answers from NCBA”.

He reported that he spoke with Lopez and was told a GPS report of their band showed they went off route on Monday. He pointed out, however, that the rules signed with the NCBA did not include anything about going off route.

McIntosh added there was no discussion with the bandleaders about the points from Monday and Tuesday being joined and questioned where was this new rule.

He said the masqueraders in his band enjoyed themselves for Carnival but have been upset by the results. He stressed his band always tries to do the correct things and this year stayed within the 30 minute time allotment at the Queen’s Park Savannah and behaved orderly. He said it was difficult to put in so much effort and then be disqualified “out of the blue”.

He lamented changes were made to Carnival two to three weeks before the festival. He said with the first meeting in October with NCBA and NCC planning started “far too late” and instead should start as early as April.

Gabriel noted the Monday judging usually stood on its own but Lopez “very craftily” added on Monday mas to Tuesday mas.

“It was definitely not discussed with anybody,” she stressed.

She recalled that when registration started online in October or November the rules were not available until December. She also noted that instead of bandleaders receiving a written copy of rules it was changed and greatly expanded and placed online. Gabriel recalled she had to retain a lawyer to understand the ramifications of the rules.

“A total lack of respect, as though the NCBA thinks that Carnival belongs to them,” she said. She noted it was “amazing” that Lopez was doing so many things detrimental to the mas and not stopped by the authorities, and called for Arts and Multiculturalism Minister Dr Lincoln Douglas to intervene.

Anderson Patrick of traditional mas band Warriors of Hurracan also complained about a new rule which prohibited anyone under 18 from participating in Carnival Monday and Tuesday. He noted while he still had some children in his band they felt hurt that after all these years they were not being allowed to play. He stressed young people in the bands were key to continuing the traditions and accused Lopez of “killing the traditional mas”.

Repeated attempts to contact Lopez yesterday via cellphone were unsuccessful and there was no response to a text message sent. Attempts to contact Douglas were similarly futile.