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2015 Crop Over and Rihanna

Crop Over 2015 is about to slide off the calendar and by the measurement of many it was a success. BU will reserve judgment until a more respectful  time but we offer this: is Crop Over […]a big party [carnival] or is it meant to be an outlet for vigorous cultural exprehttps://barbadosunderground.net/wp-admin/post.php?post=47590&action=editssion. Thanks to international…

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Crop Over 2015 is about to slide off the calendar and by the measurement of many it was a success. BU will reserve judgment until a more respectful  time but we offer this: is Crop Over […]a big party [carnival] or is it meant to be an outlet for vigorous cultural exprehttps://barbadosunderground.net/wp-admin/post.php?post=47590&action=editssion.

Thanks to international recording artist Rihanna Crop Over 2015 has been given its fair share of international exposure. The management at the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. must be grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat.

Rihanna sightings!

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198 responses to “2015 Crop Over and Rihanna”

  1. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Colonel Buggy wrote “We have never had any culture which we could clearly called our own.”

    Even if that is historically correct there are some aspects of other peoples culture thet we were born into.

    So it does not matter that cricket came from another culture. I still learned to make cricket bats and balls and enjoyed playing.
    i
    I will leave it to our better educated brethren to add to this topic.

  2. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    @ David [BU]

    Irrespective of the varied definitions I think that culture is that “je ne sais quoi” that sense of “We-ness” that, in a almost 50 year old independent nation, with 338 years of known settlement by the British (Arawak settlement chronology not definitively known), we have been unable to create.

    You remember your school song, or how you used to insert all the wrong words into John Brown’s body lies a morning in the grave.. Glory Glory Allelieu teacher hit me with a ruler…?

    It is the constancy of repetitious indoctrination of who we are as a people that over time mades Chinese love their land, “American for Americans” the taximan in the streets of Singapore to recite the LKY vision of his country that we have never been able to get right and, as a result, now seek to aggrandize this costume party on Spring Garden as our Culture.

    We be a lost people, led by blind men and women, floundering in doo doo…but a happy people who “doan give a damn if santa clause come cause all i want is my gallon uh rum…”

  3. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    There were also some meals that were only eaten on specific days. Puddin n souse on Saturdays.

    Certainly coucou and flying fish or red herring or har slit are “part of our culinary culture”

  4. Guy Fox Avatar
    Guy Fox

    Wukking up have naked doing you best to imitate sex in public is not CULTURE, it’s clloser to stray dog behaviour

  5. King Solomon Avatar
    King Solomon

    All customs of a country need not be positive

  6. de Ingrunt Word Avatar
    de Ingrunt Word

    Pieces, there are no “varied definitions” of culture. As David said we can “…agree to the definition/explanation you posted about culture”.

    And as you noted above our Bajan culture is thus a combination of our African heritage and also the habits and practices we embraced from the English overseers.

    There is no need to hedge that or run from it.

    I would never consider dancing, prancing and partying at the street party called Kaddoment as being culturally specific, however.

    I’ll say this though, I believe the Trinis have established the ‘party fun-time’ attribute as singularly cultural to them.

    When large portions of your population have the spirit and joie de vivre to have ‘curfew parties’ in order to de-stress during a violent terrorist siege of the country’s Parliament and its Government leaders, then we can say that is a deeply held national characteristic.

    So Carnival and jamming is definitely culturally Trinidadian. LOL

  7. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Is Gabby a cultural icon ?

    Who Gabby think he is

    Buy the book.

    “The book was penned by librarian Barbara Chase and consultant author Valerie Clarke. It was launched at Days Bookstore in The City, this morning.”

  8. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Guy Fox,

    It is known as doing the dog but since we no longer see pets doing it these days I’ll borrow your term and call it “doing the stray dog”.

    And they are no longer half naked but 9/10 and apparently many not only imitate sex but actually do it on the streets.

    King Solomon,

    The definition of culture does not necessitate that the custom be positive it is true. But it sure would be better if the customs were all positive.

    De Ingrunt Word,

    True our culture like many is a patchwork of other cultures. American culture is the same, isn’t it? That happens when you have the history that we have. Nothing wrong with that. I enjoy them all.

  9. ac Avatar
    ac

    The amount of publicity this event called Crop Over received is Unbelievable , Now the Bees must be very worried .
    After years of the bees trash talking Barbados the world got a first hand look at this tiny island through a lenses of anti political rhetoric and unbiased truth
    Yeah the power of the media, This is with certainty a blow to the organizers of the Doom and gloom event, and a power punch that have out maneuver any plans of action the bees might be thinking of using against this kind of leverage which gave barbados millions of likes and thumbs up,
    For sure not enough spin and twist by the bees can sour or dissuade those who saw and appreciate

  10. ac Avatar
    ac

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/bazdreisinger/2015/08/07/carnival-in-barbados-rules-for-doing-it-like-a-local-and-in-luxury/

  11. ac Avatar
    ac

    barbados live and in living color .. Awesome ! provocative! can only get better our culture

  12. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    I am sure that as I predicted last week as one of those who promote Doom and Gloom, in no small part, that the DLP resident town crier will also take some measure of blame for the incident in Black Rock which is now etched into the minds of those tourists who were in the parade.

    CRIME & VIOLENCE, CRIME AND VIOLENCE

    I wonder if those are Mia’s words? Ohhh sorry those are the words of the Dead King!!

  13. de Ingrunt Word Avatar
    de Ingrunt Word

    AC on another blog thread one of your alter egos – or as Donna has advised, one of your split personalities – displayed excellent reasoning and logic. With that in mind I would ask you to bring that personality to this thread too because you not making sense here.

    What does the overall economic pain and doom and gloom have to do with the Crop Over Extravaganza?

    During the economic down turn in US circa 2007 – 08 were any of the major festivals – Mardi Gras, the various national day parades in NY/Miami etc or the Fourth of July celebrations diminished?

    Crop Over is the type of major public spectacle that any government will ensure is well presented even if the next week afterwards we were told that the PM shuffled his cabinet and the four ministers who signed Cahill were reassigned!

  14. Alvin Cummins Avatar
    Alvin Cummins

    @Hants and Guy fox,
    Is it by chance that Guy Fox has chosen an English Historical event, that we used to celebrate every year; before we became independent and it was banned, as his nom de plume, or is it deliberate?

    For your information wukking up is part of we culture. I discovered this when I was doing research for my Play “Ja Ja King of Opobo” and researched the Dances of Africa, specifically of Nigeria. In some of the dances the dancers simulate the sex act, even lying on the ground to simulate it. In addition, they have various types of costumes, masks and and headdresses. We have, from when I was a child, the costumes of the “Jumbie Man”, who used to wear a crocus bag and was covered from head to toe. In Nigeria this costume was colourfully decorated by persons on the street putting pieces of coloured cloth in the fabric, with each piece of cloth representing a spirit that the person wanted to “get rid of”.. Wukking up is part of we heritage and it is unique cause white people can’t wuk up. As a matter of fact every black person can’t wuk up, and I maintain that few people can wuk up like Bajan women. It is a joy to see it done.

  15. ac Avatar
    ac

    What does the overall economic pain and doom and gloom have to do with the Crop Over Extravaganza?

    Actually nothing at all,for once pain was exempt and gloom became nonresistant in the minds of those who took a preference to enjoying such novelties of life as the rest of the world looked on, some with awe and some here at home whose costumes were adorned with political rhetoric and ruffles depicting maddeningly jealousy

  16. ac Avatar
    ac

    Crop Over is the type of major public spectacle that any government will ensure is well presented even if the next week afterwards we were told that the PM shuffled his cabinet and the four ministers who signed Cahill were reassigned!

    but the dlp was never recognized by the blp misfits as a govt farther less any govt which is another reason why the success of the crop over taste sooooo sweet,

  17. Artaxerxes Avatar
    Artaxerxes

    Dompey August 8, 2015 at 6:54 AM #

    “I hope your son is better equipped than I was because for sometime I had allowed the dictates of my parents, religion, and society to influenced the manner in which I thought entirely.” INCORRECT

    “I hope your son is better equipped than I was, because for some time I had allowed the dictates of my parents, religion and society to influence the manner in which I thought entirely.” CORRECT

  18. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    @ Alvin Cummins,

    You do know that it was Guy Fawkes that was “banned” and not Guy Fox??

  19. Exclaimer Avatar
    Exclaimer

    When one considers the current plight of Barbados: rising unemployment, a rise in violent crime, a rise in the supply of firearms, a failing government, a growth in faceless foreign corporations who dictate government policies, a rise in obesity levels which is a pre-cursor to diabetes and other ailments, a national health service which cannot support the weight of a nation of sheep whose population seem intent on literally eating themselves to death, et al.

    Yet here we have 168 comments discussing a garbage festival which is nothing more than a front for lewd behaviour.

    Here is TONI THORNE version on “Wukking up, vulgarity not the same”
    http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/70844/toni-thorne-wukking-vulgarity

  20. Blackfriars Avatar
    Blackfriars

    Exclaimer
    you are spot on man. Their nothing wrong with the festival itself, its a good thing………..but those (most people) who use it as an opportunity to be lewd and vulgar make it in a public embarrassment which Barbadians should be ashamed of.

    I overheard some tourist (white Canadians and and black English) describe what the witnessed on Grand Kadooment as:-
    1. Demeaning to women
    2. Improper for children
    3. Disgusting
    4. Shocking
    5. Vulgar
    6. Animalistic
    7.Morally insane

  21. Aratxerxes Avatar
    Aratxerxes

    Exclaimer August 9, 2015 at 5:41 AM #

    “Yet here we have 168 comments discussing a garbage festival which is nothing more than a front for lewd behaviour.”

    Blackfriars August 9, 2015 at 7:03 AM #

    “Their nothing wrong with the festival itself, its a good thing………..but those (most people) who use it as an opportunity to be lewd and vulgar make it in a public embarrassment which Barbadians should be ashamed of.”

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Perhaps lewd behaviour is one of the variables used by the authorities to measure and determine the “resounding success” of the Crop Over season.

    It seems as though Crop Over has lost its true purpose and have changed from a cultural based festival into a “carnival” of fetes and lewd behaviour.

    A few years ago the festival began to mirror Trinidad’s carnival. In the past 3 years it has been slowly moving towards a Brazilian type event, whereby costumes are becoming skimpier each year. Now we have women parading without tops and their breast covered with body paint.

    However, if we are going to determine the success of the festival primarily on the amount of fetes that were held and sold out, the amount of party songs produced and the amount of competitions targeting “wuk-up calypsos,” then we definitely had a successful Crop Over Festival.

  22. ac Avatar
    ac

    Lawd hav merci wuh nuh get up so early grumbling about a festival that brought joy and laughter to this 166 sq,miles of beauty,,cuh dear, just give up! the party went viral everybody loved the wuk up and barbados became the envy of the carribbean.
    now wunna just shut up ! haters.
    Come next year it going to be another explosion as this little island becomes the worlds besst place to be in August, wunna ain,t see nothing yet,

  23. Blackfriars Avatar
    Blackfriars

    ac
    If its about publicity we can achieve more by marching some of the minorities to the end of spring garden and shooting them in mass. This would be an internationally reported incident.
    There is good publicity and there is bad publicity, publicity in of itself is not always good.

  24. ac Avatar
    ac

    Blackfriars who are these minorities u want to see pit in front of a firing squad,, negro ,,Who are these minorities ?

  25. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    It is already an “explosion” as every year, under the guidance of your leader Fumbles we hear the sound of gunfire in the festival AND with his steady hands he and Stinkliar guides our economy to”implosion,,,”

  26. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    Backfrairs but it is our way of life and frankly speaking: the festival is open to each and everyone individual interpretation. I have never once felt any sexual arousal from dancing on a pretty girl’s bottom during cropover. In my mind I am there to have a good time and dancing with beautiful the women of Barbados, nothing more nothing less.

  27. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    Backfrairs, your idea of marching minorities to the river end and pumped lead in their skulls, is pure crazy talk. The sort of people who take affront to the lascivious behavior (behaviour) associated with the cropover festival , are same ones as a ( as the R&B song describes) who wishes to have a lady in the streets and a freak in the bed.

  28. ac Avatar
    ac

    Black fire is a madman do not pay the jerk any mind.

  29. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    There is a small class of black people in this world today, who seems to place their value on what some white people say and think. Backfrairs excuse my English, but who really gives F..k what the white Canadians and black English thinks about our festival and what it entails? What is most important I believe is how we as Bajans, both foreign and domestic think about our festival. The rest can piss off!

  30. Pat Avatar
    Pat

    @Dompey,

    I am bajan and I do not care dick about the crop over festival. Went one year in the early 2000’s and took my son. Went to cohoblopot….it was pitiful and a waste of money. Refused to go to the kadooment in that hot sun. Have never been back, will never go back. it just aint my cup o’ tea. We have better festivals and parades up here. Even the gay pride parade is beautiful to behold.

  31. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    Pat

    I respect your opinion, but I respectfully disagree with your analogy regarding parades in North America because I find them quite mundance and very boring.Their aren’t anything at all like our festivels in Barbados and elsewhere in the Caribbean.

  32. de Ingrunt Word Avatar
    de Ingrunt Word

    @Alvin, I very much agree with you re our link to the African customs which have infused our culture and embrace the view that ‘wukking up’ is part of that. Where I part company though is defining the ‘wukking up’ on a stage or road by a group of performers as the same as the hedonistic acts on the Kadooment road march.

    The latter just seems vulgar and better left for private places.

    @Artax, I would agree with your piece above but with these key changes: “It seems as though KADOOMENT has lost its true purpose and have changed from a cultural based festival into a “carnival” of lewd behaviour.”

    Crop Over itself may have also lost some of it original historical wow factor with the displacement of the ‘hard times’ Mr Harding symbolism and some other events, but over the years with all the new aspects of the Crop Over season like Cohoblopot, calypso tents, party monarch show on East Coast, and as you said the ‘amount of fetes that were held and sold out’…then we definitely had a successful Crop Over Festival”.

    Of course there are ancillary acts like the Bussa walk which have also become part and parcel of the Crop Over Extravaganza.

    So we need to stop equating Kadoooment as CROP OVER. The jump up with all its lewdness and salacious acts is but one segment of a festival that has significant exciting and positive cultural attributes and creates a VALID buzz of excitement, joy and positive revenue to the island

  33. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    Pat, parades in North America in my estimation, lack the rhythmicity one usually finds in Barbados and elsewhere in the Caribbean, so I don’t know how a Barbadian born and bred in the island could even enjoy that mess?

  34. balance Avatar
    balance

    “Hants August 8, 2015 at 12:51 PM #

    @David,

    Lewis and Rihanna are showing off Barbados as a “fun” destination.

    Lewis getting a lot of attention from the “papparazzi”.

    Can’t show any links because of concern for the health of Piece an Bushie.”


    Not only Rihanna and Lewis Hamilton but kudos should be extended to the former sacked coach of the West Indies team; our own Otis Gibson as well for his promotion of Barbados rum during the congratulatory celebrations in the dressing room of the English players after retaining the ashes. Amidst the abundance of beer and champagne Mr Gibson displayed a bottle of Mount Gay black and offered his colleagues rum and coke for all watching Sky Sports 2 to see.

  35. ac Avatar
    ac

    Hotels, guest houses, restaurants, stores, shops, taxi and tour operators, and others would have benefited from the influx of visitors to the island specifically for Crop Over. In a depressed economic environment where many are loath to spend, the period between June and August is one where significant spending and circulation of money occur. Minister of Culture Stephen Lashley is on record as stating that during the Crop Over festival about BDS$80 million is pumped into the Barbadian economy. That is a figure not to be scoffed at. Indeed, it is one to be increased.

  36. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @balance,

    Yes kudos to Gibson and congratulations to him as England’s bowling coach.

  37. ac Avatar
    ac

    One would never hear all this positive news out of the mouths of the BLP but what can one expect! after all the Blp misfit still fighting the results of the 2013 election.Tough luck!

  38. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    These concerns have been expressed by many spanning DLP and BLP governments. Why is everything reduced to partisan politics by some people? Steupse.

  39. David Avatar
    David

    @Donna

    The answer is a simple, we are following the path of Jamaica and Trinidad. There is a sense of inevitability about it all.

  40. Crusoe Avatar
    Crusoe

    SO, Gibson is the bowling coach for the English Team. They win.

    He coached Windies, they lose.

    Have we understood yet, it is NOT about coaching, it is about skill and guts.

    Out current players are soft boys.

  41. Crusoe Avatar
    Crusoe

    To clarify my last statement, good on Gibson for coaching the English team.

    My point is, even a good coach cannot help Windies weak players.

    I told y’all a long time ago, Windies cricket done.

  42. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Gibson was a “part time” bowling coach for West Indies.

    Had he been the full time fast bowling coach he would have made a difference.

  43. Just Saying Avatar
    Just Saying

    Crop Over bursts with potential skillfully managed it could be the number one festival/carnival cultural phenomenon in the Western Hemisphere with the exception of Mardi Gras in Brazil. The excessive lewd behavior must be toned down. To achieve that is a challenge for organizers and festival well wishers indeed an intense coordinated effort must be put into action. The gunplay by wild and lawless youth at the hotspots must be stamped out. The RBPF and citizens who want to see the island prosper must join hands, identify the hard headed gunmen and punish them severely in the law courts or in the cemetery if they shoot back.

    The Rihanna factor illustrates the power celebrities have to advertise the country in a way no marketing agencies could. The celebs at Rihanna’s level of popularity can lure tourists here in massive numbers the trick is to select key stars to lead the charge. Rihanna isn’t only a key one she’s one of us.

    Kadooment Day must be tweaked. Incentives to the long complaining band leaders must be offered. Tax cuts on costumes and ancillary items should be cleverly rolled out so that if the state gives discounts it drives more commercial and economic bustle.

    The Grand Kadooment from its name to its route is pure wonderment and excitement to all who witness it be it those from abroad or the local communities. The culmination on Spring Garden Highway with some of the best white sand beach and azure waters in the world fascinates the most seasoned traveler. Bajans cannot get enough of Kadooment or Crop Over and its clear the same hold true for tourists. The loving embrace of Crop Over by the people goes a long way in communicating the authenticity of the Festival. Outsiders respect the local endorsement highly. If you don’t respect your own don’t expect respect from others.

  44. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    We are in agreement here on most things.

  45. ac Avatar
    ac

    barbados /crop over/ would never be the same as Rhianna continues to grace the pages of international magazines taking barbados along for a sensual captivating ride
    Wow
    check out these pictures.

    http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/08/10/15/2B3F761900000578-3192379-Glug_Showing_off_a_perfect_manicure_she_sipped_on_another_beer_a-a-94_1439218169220.jpg

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3192379/Rihanna-shows-incredible-beach-body-cut-bikini-feeds-baby-monkey-sunbathing-Barbados.html?ito=social-facebook

  46. ac Avatar
    ac

    Crop Over an incredible story that started as a small contribution to our island and a memory to our ancestors who toiled and laboured valigantly in helping to shape and develop the landscape of barbados

  47. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Pest.

    http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/70869/monkeys-crop-damage

  48. Ron Avatar
    Ron

    No longer doubt! Descending from the sky,
    She lifts you in her arms to realms on high.
    And so you into Paradise are brought,
    As if worth of pure and endless life:
    Nothing is left, no wish, no hope, no thought,
    This is the goal of your inmost drive
    And seeing one so fair, so glorified,
    The fount of yearning tears was straightway dried…

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