By Dexter Mitchell It is the first time in ten years that I have not been involved in Carnival in any capacity, be it management of Artistes, production of music or in recent times Manager of the Carnival Office. Don’t expect me to highlight the poor production, late starts and poor turnout of the Carnival events except to say this; if one gives a Taxi-driver a taxi to drive, more than likely it will be a task he can handle, but if that same Taxi-driver is given the controls of an airplane the likely result is that he will crash said airplane. The issue of foreign judges was a major talking point throughout the season. For the record I am not now, nor will I ever be in favor of non-Grenadians adjudicating competitions that should be indigenous and uniquely Grenadian. The Grenadians who have judged Calypso and Soca competitions over the years all have very prominent and visible everyday jobs. Their various careers dictate that their secure the best interest of this beloved land. From the security guard at PSIA to the facilitations manager at the National Stadium, on a daily basis these individuals are expected to represent the best of Grenada. So it strikes me as very odd that these individuals could be accused of favoring a particular song or Artiste to make Grenada look bad. A democratic society is governed by policies and constitutional laws not by proclamations and declarations. An individual fails to exist when his or her right to expression is taken away. One major policy that is missing is that of copyright and intellectual property. The format of CDs is now just about 24 years old and during that period our Artistes were never given the opportunity to fully capitalize on their skills and talents. With the evolution of mp3s and other forms of digital music the chances of Artistes in this part of the world being able to capitalize on sale of music has now become nil. An interesting fact to note here is that the first album ever to sell 1 million copies was a record named Calypso by Harry Belafonte, featuring the timeless classic the Banana Boat Song (Day O). Can that kind of success be repeated by our purveyors of Calypso and Soca? Well only once since the 1956 release of Calypso has that kind of success been duplicated. Arrow’s soca anthem, ‘Hot, Hot Hot’ sold over 4 million copies world wide, while the Buster Pointdexter remix sold another 4 million copies. Commercial success within our music industry should not occur just once every life, but the legislation governing the protection of creative rights must be made law and enforced to lay the foundation for success and profitability for those great thinkers and creators in our society. One might be inclined to ask what is the best way ahead. What can be done to ensure that our cultural institutions, customs and ideals do not become extinct? As with everything else the power is with the majority and the sooner the Artistes, Mas Men and Pan Players recognize that fact the better off they will be. After what has been a very bad year for culture and let me hasten to qualify that statement: Carriacou’s Carnival was even worst than Grenada’s, there was no Drum Festival, there was no cultural representation from us at the World Cup opening ceremony, the Maroon Festival only happened after the organizers threatened to not have one at all and the list goes on. Coming out of all these debacles is has become almost an emergency for our Creators and Artistes to demand from our Policy-makers the proper legislation for the adequate advancement of all things cultural. A parliamentarian collects a pension after two terms in office, yet after 20 years of selfless devotion and commitment most of our cultural practitioners have nothing substantial to show for an undying love to the various artforms. Immense strength can be derived from unity and it is sad to hear the Calypsonians, especially, continuously being critical of each other publicly. The existence of 2 Calypso Associations is not an accident and without some kind of resolve, without a common understanding that the creators among us are as, if not more powerful than any member of society, then in time to come, foreign judges and late starts will be the least of their problems. The aftermath of Hurricanes Ivan and Emily and Cricket World Cup 2007 proved that when required, Grenadians can rise to the occasion. So one can just imagine how much better Carnival and all other cultural undertakings could be if they were not left up to chance and petty politics.