Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 6 hours ago
The San Fernando Junior Calypso finals took place today despite major funding cuts to the City's Carnival.

There was a change: one overall competition instead of the usual junior and senior categories.

The San Fernando Mayor says corporate sponsorship is not what it once were, but it’s how they kept this event alive.

As Reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh tells us, the Mayor says he has no war or beef with anyone and reassured carnival will continue.

Category

🗞
News
Transcript
00:00There were seven performances in Friday's Sando Junior Calypso Finals competition held at City Hall, San Fernando.
00:08Students ages 10 to 18 years old participated from different primary and secondary schools across South Trinidad.
00:15But it's an annual event that usually has two categories.
00:19Something, the Carnival Committee chairman says, was just not possible given NCC's funding cut.
00:25The city was given $500,000 to run Carnival compared to the $700,000 it has gotten in recent years.
00:34So this competition is one of the competitions that has been affected because last year there was a junior and senior aspect of this competition.
00:46And therefore, if we don't have the annual funding, what is going to happen?
00:51Mayor Robert Parris says while Carnival stakeholders have agreed to forego the competition aspect of events this year,
00:59this particular event for the children remained with corporate TNT's sponsorship.
01:05But even that, he says, is not what it used to be.
01:08We also have tiers of sponsorship for this competition.
01:18And you know, corporate TNT isn't as generous in this band-a-time as they were previously.
01:28So we have some sponsors that, I remember how many people from the band-a-burs?
01:32$500,000, $500,000, $500,000, $500,000, $500,000, $500,000, how much social band-a-burs?
01:38$500,000, $500,000. So I see the truth.
01:43Mayor Parris says before the NCC checked distribution of $500,000,
01:48they were told verbally the allocation would remain $700,000, even so without competition.
01:55The show, he says, will go on.
01:57I have no hope and no peace with nobody.
02:01But if you want to understand the corporate governance of regional Carnival,
02:07come and sit down with me and I'll have a discussion.
02:10So ladies and gentlemen, we will have Carnival in San Fernando.
02:15On Friday, the top three Calypso performances went to, in third place,
02:3414-year-old Asia Tid of Holy Faith Convent Pinal.
02:38So we proud of them for you, the case was...
02:42In second place, 18-year-old Josiah Ferrier of Presentation College.
02:56And first place went to 11-year-old Janaya Clark of Modern Minds Academy.
03:10Where I will lead us today, to be an example for more young people.
03:17Where I will lead us today, when the young one's looking for a role model.
03:23Who could tell her how to walk, when I see her walking crooked and looking shady.
03:29Who could tell her how to talk, when I send her adventure, go on somebody.
03:34Cindy Ragubantika Singh, TV6 News.
Comments