Representative from Scotiabank, Keisha Humphrey (centre), standing with yesterday’s participants after donating a few tokens.
Past Junior Monarch of 2011 and 2014, Sammy G as she performed yesterday.
Chad ‘De MC’ Montplaisir, 2016 Reigning Junior Monarch, as he performed his winning song ‘Outta Love’.
Simone Codrington, Corporate Communications Specialist at the National Cultural Foundation.
Many shoppers and campers braved the heat to enjoy a mini concert yesterday afternoon.
Corporate Communications Specialist at the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), Simone Codrington, told The Barbados Advocate that the Scotiabank Draw and mini concert replaced the Junior Monarch Road Show, where the participants would have visited different primary schools, doing their own promotions and reminding people of the upcoming show. She explained that yesterday’s participants included people who did not make it to the semi-finals or finals as well as past Junior Monarchs.
“Before we would have used some of the people actually in the competition that would have been finalists; but this year we wanted to give a little bit of exposure to those who would not have made it to the semi-finals and finals and also to promote some of the past and reigning monarchs,” she said.
Senior Marketing Manager at Scotiabank, Lisa Cole, noted that the Scotiabank Draw and Mini Concert, which usually takes place at Scotiabank, was held in Bridgetown yesterday as a way to garner more attention for the upcoming show. She explained that yesterday was the first time they were having the event in this particular format and that they were completely delighted, that the vision to bring the event out into the public and showcase the juniors in that way, came to fruition. Referring to the last Sunday’s show where the contestants found out who advanced to the final stage, Cole expressed that the participants gave stellar performances.
“Overall, the calibre and standard of performances continues to be of a consistently high standard and all of the Junior Monarch Programme participants are to be commended,” she said.
Additionally, she noted that she was also pleased by the collective efforts from the NCF, the mentors, coaches, participants and their families as she viewed it as an investment in the preservation of the Caribbean art form that is calypso. She expressed that the Juniors were the vessels that will ensure that decades down the line, calypso has “a future that is bright and filled with exceeding talent.”
Cole said that the theme for this year’s competition, which will take place July 22, is “I Got Something to Say” and commended the participants for highlighting various issues such as corporal punishment, bullying and even potholes.