Tobago Festivals CEO: Stakeholders to seek solutions to Carnival issues

CEO of the Tobago Festivals Commission Ltd (TFCL) Kern Cowan has admitted to shortcomings at the staging of this year’s national Carnival festivities on the island.

Speaking with Newsday on March 5, Cowan acknowledged the concerns surrounding the delays in the presentation of the bands.

“These delays were the result of unforeseen challenges experienced by the mas fraternity which impacted the seamless execution of scheduled presentations.”

He said the commission was assisting the fraternity and encouraging them to fulfil the commitment to arrive and present their creations at the various judging points in a timely manner.

“It is evident that the mas bandleaders are having challenges with being in a state of readiness to achieve the agreed-upon times. As an organisation, we remain committed to working closely with all stakeholders to address these challenges and ensure a smoother experience moving forward.”

He said at an upcoming post-carnival post-mortem meeting, stakeholders would discuss and thoroughly ventilate and draft a clear policy decision on how those and all other issues would be addressed in the future.

The commission, he said, remains dedicated to delivering a world-class product.

However, chairman of the Tobago Division of the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce Curtis Williams described the Tobago leg of the national annual event as “a disappointment.”

“We can clearly see the focus is on Tobago Carnival in October for the population and business.”

Some careful consideration, he said, must be placed on the national event.

“If we should celebrate it (national Carnival) or not in Tobago, instead of wasting resources that could be used otherwise.

“I wouldn’t call it shortcoming because the desire of the THA was to promote one carnival, which is Tobago carnival. So, emphasis was placed on that event and the promoters and bandleaders follow suit even businesses as well. The marking was on the wall.”

Efforts to contact THA Assistant Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Niall George and Chairman of the Tobago Carnival Bandleaders Association, Dianne McCrimmon proved futile as all calls and messages to their phones went unanswered.