"August
is the Time" is the theme selected by the Grenada Carnival
Committee to celebrate Spice Mas 2006.
The Tanteen Netball Court was the venue for the launching of Carnival
last week Saturday as hundreds turned out to get a first hand
glimpse of what is in store for the 25th year of Carnival being
held in August.
Addressing the gathering, Minister of Culture and the Performing
Arts, Senator Brenda Hood said that Grenada will continue to showcase
its culture to the world after Carnival 2006 by staging a number
of events leading up to the staging of what has been referred
to as the island"s second biggest event to carnival - the
2007 Cricket World Cup.
She said the local carnival body will host major events in the
early months of 2007, as visitors prepare to come to the island
for the Cricket World Cup. She stated that the Grenada Board of
Tourism (GBT) and the Carnival Committee will continue to market
Grenada as a destination of choice.
The female government minister was confident that the festival
will grow from strength to strength and called on the population
for more participation in the events particularly in the mas bands.
The sound of steelband music could be heard from miles away as
Courts New Dimension entertained the patrons.
This was followed by the St John"s Shortknee Band then it
was back to harmonious music from the Republic Bank Angel Harps
steel orchestra.
"Untamed", a fancy mas band which is only in its second
year of existence gave the audience a trilling show with its prototypes
of 2006 Carnival costumes. However the highlights of the evening
was when calypsonians and soca artistes took to the stage.
The first to perform was Raphael "Croquetta" Johnson
who gave the crowd a taste in one of his new hits called "In
the Party". This is a song which tells one "Patsy"
that she can have fun in a party without stripping off her clothes
and misbehaving.
Croquetta was followed by Sean "Sour Serpent" Niles
and the 2005 Calypso Monarch, Finley "Scholar" Jeffrey,
who drove the crowd in a frenzy with a sample of his new hit song
for 2006 which speaks of some of the negative activities which
occurred following Hurricanes Ivan and Emily.
The controversial thought-provoking calypsonian in his song referred
to Government ministers as "corned beef ministers".
Scholar"s song spoke of a certain female minister who instead
of ruling the land was making greed for ration.
Controversial Jamaican lawyer, Hugh Wildman and his ambition to
become the country"s next Attorney General was not speared
by the singer. From then on it was soca flowing like water from
the likes of Nnika Francis, Sheldon Douglas, Andy "Four Brass"
John, Edson "Ajamu" Mitchell and Dave "Boogie B"
Peters as they set the stage for what"s to come as the nation
prepares for 25 years of Mas, 25 years of Pan and 25 years of
Calypso.
A brilliant display of fireworks brought the curtains down on
the 2006 Carnival Launch.
