NCC: Regions must account for Carnival $

Despite a cut in allocation of funding for regional Carnivals throughout the country, their development remained very important says Darian Marcelle of the National Carnival Commission (NCC).

Marcelle said, over the years, there had been complaints from people living in rural TT that they were alienated from the festival since the majority of Carnival events were mainly concentrated in Port of Spain.

He said with the regional Carnivals now, people from all over TT could be part of the festival, not only as onlookers, but also being actively involved in the making and playing of mas in their own community.

However, Marcelle was peeved with what was happening at some of the regional bodies.

“One of the challenges we are having is that some regions are not proving their audited accounts. You just can’t spend government funds and not account for it.

"Last year, a number of regions didn’t submit their accounts and we took a decision to only give them 50 per cent of their allocation because we couldn’t deny the people in those communities. But by next week when the board meets, we will take a decision whether we will again give them 50 per cent of funding or if any monies at all.”

Marcelle said, after Carnival each year, communities were supposed to submit audited accounts of their Carnival by May but a number of them had been tardy in doing so while some others were just delinquent and had not submitted their accounts for years. As an example, he said San Fernando last submitted accounts in 2010.

Apart from funding the 53 regional Carnivals, NCC stages six major Carnival events that include the re-enactment of the Canboulay riots, the Dragon Parade, the stick-fighting competition, the traditional mas parade by schools on Carnival Friday, and the traditional mas parade on Carnival Monday.

Meanwhile the NCC is yet to receive funding from its line ministry, therefore, monies for the regional Carnivals are yet to be handed out.

Marcelle is hoping that can happen next week.

Funding for the regional Carnivals has to be cut because of a reduction of the allocation from the government for Carnival this year.