Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance WriterLOOKING CASUALLY from the outside, it seems Festival - the period spanning July to just past Independence Day, August 6 - has lost much of its lustre.
Created from good intentions, it seems to be another victim of economics. Many of the events that made Festival worth waiting for, such as the Grand Gala, float parade, as well as street dances on almost every major street, have either disappeared completely or have grown anaemic.
Even so, Festival continues to celebrate and illuminate several aspects of Jamaican culture.
Staged by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), Festival celebrations encompass the culinary, literary, visual and performing arts.
Working under the mandate to 'unearth, develop and showcase' the best of Jamaican culture, it has remained alive because of the enthusiastic interest of the various participants and much volunteerism
Indeed, while the Commission has continued to unearth and develop, showcasing is where it has fallen short, much to its own detriment.
This weekend marked the beginning of the showcasing of events for Festival 2004, with the Festival Queen Coronation and the Food Festival.
"Over the years Festival has become the preserve of certain Festival people," says Marcia Hextall, executive director of the JCDC.
Coming to the end of her three-year contract with the commission, Ms. Hextall notes that the JCDC is trying to change that impression: "This year (2004) is really a continuation of a path we've been on for the past couple of years to widen the interest and participation in the Festival," she says.
With its limited budget, the celebrations have been thrown at the tender mercies of corporate Jamaica. While many have been fickle to its needs, it has found succour from some companies. As such, cash remains relatively elusive and so this year some of the planned events have had to either be cancelled or postponed.
According to Ms. Hextall, it takes approximately $40 million to showcase Festival.
Two years ago the float parade came back with a bang. However, last year it failed to make a reappearance and the 2004 Festival celebrations will have to go on without it yet again.
Ms. Hextall explained that though they received a sponsor for the event, the corporate entity (which she chose not to name) came on too late for the float parade to proceed this year.
She notes that the performing arts competition in drama, speech, dance, music and traditional folk forms has been the greatest victim. According to her, the most work goes into this area, but it receives the least financial support.
Fortunately, this support has been growing, with companies such as Capital and Credit Merchant Bank and Berger Paints (Ja) Ltd. committing themselves to not only the showcasing of the competition, but to the development of the traditional folk forms (Capital and Credit) and dance (Berger).
TALENTED ENTRANTS
Though the growth is slower than Ms. Hextall would like, she notes that more companies are showing an interest.
Indeed, it is not only corporate Jamaica has been sponsoring festival as many individuals, some of them adjudicators in the competitions, have been sponsoring trophies for the various events.
Some of the competitions such as music have found themselves bursting at the seams with entrants. The performing arts competition saw a total of 8,700 entries this year, says Ms. Hextall. However, despite the growing number of participants, Hextell says that the judges have assured her it has not brought a general increase in quality.
Even so, many talented persons do pass through the competition and gain either exposure or further development of their skills.
Field services and programmes director, Delroy Gordon, noted that the JCDC has been instrumental in this sense. He noted that the competition has worked as a kind of feeder programme for entertainment events.
Indeed, while Ms. Hextell was being interviewed, she received a call requesting performers for a function. Various performers have also found international exposure through the competition, as their performance at one event leads to greater demand for their talents.
Ms. Hextall argues that the major shortfall of this programme has been the limitations on what the development the Commission can offer.
Even so, the Commission has been working around its own abilities. Mr. Gordon points to the increase in joint ventures, which has seen various entities using the competition as a promotion tool.
This year, the Ministry of Health has joined forces with the drama competition to produce a play that can be used in the HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.
In much the same vein the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has collaborated with the literary arts competition to promote disaster preparedness and management. The proverbial pot is sweetened through these sub-categories, as winners get additional prizes and cash incentives.
As such, it is clear that hope flickers on the horizon for the performing arts. The most notable sign of this is that Mello-Go-Roun', which showcases the most entertaining entries in the competition, has outgrown the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre on Hope Road and will be staged at the National Arena this year.
NAME CHANGE
Another of the major flagships (though it has been flying at half-mast for years) of the JCDC festival period is the Popular Song Competition. The competition has continued to wage its identity war, once again abandoning the 'Festival' title.
The competition began in 1963 and with songs such as Cherry Oh Baby and Sweet and Dandy among the winners, its early years spawned some of the most impressive songs in Jamaica's music history.
When the competition fell from grace in the late 1980s, it hit hard. Since then the scramble to get back to its knees and then hopefully its feet has seemed an exercise in futility.
The name change is yet another attempt to resuscitate the competition, as the Commission is making the songs entered relevant to today's music.
Ms. Hextall contends that despite arguments against updating the sounds of Festival, early hits like Bam Bam, which is rocksteady, reflect the popular beats of the time. She noted that even so, many Jamaicans believe in a "Festival sound".
"If you listened to Festival songs you wouldn't know that reggae happened, that dancehall happened," says Ms. Hextall.
Of course, the problem with the competition may well be that it is no longer relevant to today's music industry. With the mushrooming of studios in every nook and their crannies, it is questionable whether striving musicians need to get the sometimes elusive buss.
"In speaking to the artistes, we see that people are still standing by producers doors trying to get in," says Ms. Hextall. She argues that the competition is therefore still relevant in terms of presenting a vehicle for greater exposure.
Despite this, the competition's hiatus in rhythms of yesteryear, as well as the mediocre entries that have plagued it, have not only caused the general public to lose interest, but have marred the idea of what a Festival song is.
Ms. Hextall admits that there is a sense even among people in the music industry that 'Festival songs' are songs of low quality and the competition is the preserve of the talentless. She relates that producers have admitted to telling studio rejects to "go enter Festival wid dat man". She noted that last year one judge wrote "this is a very good song. I wouldn't enter it in Festival".
The sentiment has continued somewhat. Ms. Hextall explains that though the Commission has received good feedback about the quality of this year's entries, many still do not consider them to be 'Festival' songs.
"One thing that is constant is that people commend the quality (of the songs)," says Mr. Gordon. He notes that currency of the songs has been especially appreciated by the young.
If the plan works, the comeback of the popular song competition will mean much to return Festival to a point of interest for the public.
Through it attention can be turned to other areas, such as the literary and visual arts competitions, which mr. Gordon argues do not get enough public attention.
Regardless of the cultural form, however, Ms. Hextall easily sums up the point of Festival: "It's really a part of reinforcing pride in being Jamaican."
