Crop Over 2023 Prize Giving Ceremony
NCF Deputy Chairman – Mr. Sheldon Hope ( PICTURED ABOVE )
Thursday, August 31, 2023
Fellow members of the Board of Management at the NCF;
Mrs. Andrea Wells, Chief Cultural Officer at the NCF and other
members of the NCF management team & staff;
Crop Over 2023 awardees;
Members of the Media;
Ladies & Gentlemen
A pleasant good evening to you. It is my distinct pleasure to address you
on this the last day of August which closes out our 2023 Crop Over
Festival.
My name is Sheldon Hope, I am the Deputy Chairman on the Board of
Management at the National Cultural Foundation, and I crave your
indulgence for just a few minutes.
We all started this Crop Over 2023 four months ago on May 25, Africa Day
when the We Came on Merchants Ships Central Bank of Barbados Crop
Over Visual Arts Exhibition was mounted.
In June, the nine Sweet Limes in communities across Barbados started to
ignite the festival fever. Those Sweet Limes were the first indication that the
2023 Crop Over Festival would be an absolute memorable one. It was our
first full post COVID festival and we all anticipated an enjoyable period.
Since then, we had our official opening of Crop Over at the historic
Hayman’s Sugar Factory when Prime Minister The Honourable Mia Mottley
signaled the festival officially opened: Her words: “I now declare Crop
Over 2023 open, ready for business, ready for enjoyment . . .”
There were plenty events and activities to follow, much to the delight of
Barbadian audiences starved for the nectar of the sweetest summer
festival. During the final weekend of the festival a new Calypso Monarch
was crowned at the Pic O De Crop Finals. On August 7 we culminated the
festival on Grand Kadooment Day.
While NCF may have charted the course of this journey we did not take it
alone. We owe a debt of gratitude first to the Prime Minister’s Office Culture
for signing off on our initiatives and allowing us to produce a world-class
festival.
We cannot forget key ministries and agencies with whom we work: The
Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., The Barbados Hotel & Tourism
Association, Barbados Tourism Investment Inc., National Conservation
Commission, Transport Board, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Health,
Barbados Water Authority, Barbados Police Service, Barbados Defence
Force, Department of Emergency Management, Sanitation Service
Authority, National HIV/AIDS Commission, Government Information
Service and others.
Heartfelt thanks to all of our sponsors who literally bought into our concept
and even the introduction of a new event.
Thank you to all of our constituents: the artists, artistes, vendors, the
service providers, the dancers, the creatives, the photographers and
videographers who captured the memorable moments.
Special thanks to our media partners who continue to capture and tell the
stories of our culture and heritage to audiences at home and abroad.
Extra special thanks to all Bajans who patronised the NCF-produced
events and the slew of privately-held events. As our chairman Dr. Jasmine
Babb said in her remarks at the official opening this Festival belongs to all
of us.
You are the ones who allowed us to record 30 000 patrons at an incident-
free Pandemonium.
You are the ones who attended the youth-focused events ensuring that
future generations of creatives feel encouraged and supported.
You are the ones who patronised local vendors and paid for events to
ensure that the Crop Over Festival remains a viable commercial product
which continues to generate millions to the national economy.
You are the ones who give us feedback and offered ideas and suggestions
on how we could better deliver this Festival that we all hold dear to our
hearts.
We are here today to reward all of the creatives who continue to be
committed to the festival, you who give of your talents and expertise, who
toil and endure in order to make our Festival a success. Today, we salute
you! Whether you are a bandleader, entertainer, composer, producer,
dancer; whatever your area of endeavour we take this time to honour you.
On behalf of us all at the NCF thank you for your service and congrats on
your respective achievements.
I cannot leave the podium this evening without thanking the small group
headquartered at West Terrace which pulls off these mighty feats. Events,
such as this evening, are all made possible due to their skill and
commitment to task.
On behalf of the Board, I must offer sincere gratitude to the management
and staff of the NCF, led by CEO Ms. Carol Roberts. Thanks to the NCF
volunteers, marshals, ushers, technical and stage management teams. The
NCF team worked tirelessly, over the past few months, in order to deliver a
top-notch Crop Over Festival.
And while this year’s festival has ended, work has already started on next
year’s festivals with a series of post-mortem meetings.
The road to Crop Over 2024 is in train. We ask each of you stakeholders to
continue to give of your time, talent, money, energy and input as we all
move this Festival forward.
On behalf of myself, our Chairman Dr. Jasmine Babb; the directors of the
Board of Management; the NCF CEO Ms. Carol Roberts, her management
team and staff we thank you for the invaluable role you all played in making
the 2023 Crop Over Festival a success. We look forward to working with
you in producing an even more exciting and enjoyable Crop Over 2024. I
Thank you.
