Prime Minister Amor Mottley is promising to underwrite three months of touring for artistes whose music does well during the Crop Over Festival.
This is to provide support to artistes who had been deprived of the opportunity to move around and earn a living, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms. Mottley told the gathering attending the Digicel Ceremonial Delivery of the Last Canes and Vintage Calypso Tent at Hayman’s Sugar Factory, St. Peter, last Saturday, that “with the full run-up to the festival this year, the “creativity of Barbadian costume designers, writers, musicians and craftsmen was on full display”.
She saluted the creatives and pointed out that for the last three years, they had been deprived of earning a living from the various events.
Ms. Mottley added: “I have asked the National Cultural Foundation to meet with them to ensure that the Government will underwrite the touring of a significant number of the artistes whose music does well this year, recognising that they need this platform in order to continue to get expanded market share outside of Barbados as they would have had before COVID.
“We cannot assume that because people knew them before that they will hire them today. We cannot assume that it is a level playing field because air fares have gone up significantly because of the reduced number of seats across the world after COVID. In the same way that Government has helped other sectors in this economy, it is now time to help the performing artistes to expand their earning capacity significantly and therefore the Government will work with them to ensure that they have three months of touring come post August 7, at the end of Crop Over.”
During the proceedings, awards were presented to the winners of the Schools’ Heritage Games Competitions and outstanding sugar workers and Crop Over stalwarts. There was one special award presented.