"Beautiful Bahamaland, come sing with me, come sing with me!"
The Ministry of Tourism is now taking entries for the 3rd Annual Junkanoo Song Competition which was opened officially on May 1 with the deadline of June 16. Application for the competition is free. Artists can also enter more than one song.
Clarence Rolle, Manager of Communications at the Ministry of Tourism, said that there have been about 20 entries for each year that the competition was held, some of whom were newcomers into the industry and others were seasoned artists.
"But we have had just as many good entries from the ametuers. The only way you can be sure that you have a chance to win is to enter. The larger vision of the song competition is that it contributes to the entertainment pool that we have in the country. It gives fresh material for radio, home consumption and people who really like to buy cd's. But also, it is really meant to also widen the type of entertainment that you get at the festival," he said.
The finalists will have to perform their song for the crowd at Arawak Cay during the Junkanoo Summer Festival continued Mr. Rolle. Adding that the song will be partly judged on the crowd's participation as well. Songs must also be recorded at high quality and on CD so that the judging panel can review them and select finalists.
Only songs written in traditional Bahamian styles οΎ– junkanoo, goombay or rake n' scrape will be accepted for judging. Winners will come from adult and junior (under 18 years old) categories. Winners in the adult category will receive handsome cash prizes – $5,000 for first place; $3,000 for second and $2,000 for third. The top finishers in the junior category will receive $3,000, 2,000 and a new computer for first, second and third place, respectively.
Last year's winner, Alia Coley, in an interview with The Guardian said that in her opinion, the Junkanoo Song Competition is a medium to encourage more Bahamian artists to produce Bahamian music.
"It is also a medium where people can speak about what is happening and things that need to be enlightened in this country. I hope that this competition would inspire people to write more quality songs. It is good to write about your country and the sun, sea and sand but how much can we speak about that. There are too much important issues that need to be dealt with. Artists need to get out of that box, just talking about the trees and sand. They need to start writing about life and what is going on, on a day to day basis," said Ms. Coley.
She won last year's competition for the Rake N Scrape song, You've Got Mine. Her other song Stand Your Ground also made it to the final round of competition. She says that she writes her songs based on life issues, relationships and with the intent to motivate and inspire.
Ms. Coley, who will soon release her first solo album, Artist From the Heart, also placed second in two of the past Love 97 Song Competitions.
"The competition is good just for the whole festivity of it. People can come out and enjoy Junkanoo Summer and be entertained. It also encourages more people to write Bahamian music. It is definitely lacking, especially, quality music. We have a tendency in this county to be mediocre. Look at Cuba? Tell me if you can find anything other than what is cultural to them? People go there and that is what they look for," she said.
" Tourists come here and this is what they look for. It is false advertisement if you give them the impression that they will have this rich Bahamian experience and when they come here, they are bombarded with everything foreign and they see the same things that they have where they came from. This country is too small for that. We need place more emphasis on what is local," said Ms. Coley.
However, she said, that youth of today cannot be blamed for their fascination with the foreign and cultural music because it is what the media feeds them. "You can't blame them because they feel that that is what sells," she said.
In the main time, Alia performs at Atlantis from Thursday through Saturday in the Coral Lobby from 8:30 -12:30 p.m.
By: VANESSA C ROLLE, Nassau Guardian Lifestyles Editor
