Wednesday, July 27, 2005

 

Church and Carnival

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Wherever the twos or threes are gathered in My name, there I shall be also.

With this biblical text in mind, Party Monarch first-timer Sean Apache Carter said he had just as much right to be at the Calypso Bowl for this year's Party Monarch Finals as anyone else.

"If Jesus was around today, He would be down here because this is where the people are. This is a world down here in itself. We are seeking to control every arena. There is no place on earth that Christians shouldn't be," he said yesterday.

"Obviously we wouldn't go into a nightclub and say that we are going to minister. This is part of our culture and we have just as much right being in anything in relation to culture as anybody else," he said.

He also dismissed those naysayers who said The Experience tent had no right in the Pic-O-De-Crop competition and were only in it for the money.

"If people really understood how much money we [performers] have to spend just to put our songs out, they wouldn't say that. To start with, it's $1 000 to get our songs arranged and scored and then it is $2 500 per song to get them recorded," he said.

Singing High Praise, he said he enjoyed himself and so did his supporters who wore red T-shirts with the words: These Are My Church Clothes, written across the front.

"It is not a money-making thing. Really and truly it is not about making money. It's all about the message. I mean you can go down the East Coast, enjoy yourself in a clean wholesome way without jucks and stabs, and you don't have to wuk-up on nobody. We enjoyed ourselves just like anybody."

Some of his tent members said they came to support him and to show people could have fun without behaving bad.

They said the fact that Apache was in the finals was "history in the making" and they wanted to be a part of it.

Psychologist and Anglican priest Dr Marcus Lashley, who was among the crowd, spoke of the quality of the music of The Experience tent performers. He said it would be interesting if De Announcer or Sammy Jane placed in the top three spots in the Pic-O-De-Crop finals.

"There is room in the festival for the broadest possible expression once it is all in the parametres of the guidelines of the music," he said.

Meanwhile, Jamaican Charlene Forbes, who said this was her first Party Monarch event, expressed some reservations.

"I enjoyed myself but it seemed strange in the setting for someone to be singing about God. The guy that sang about 'praising 'im', me didn't know if to kneel down and pray or dance to 'im song," she said, referring to Apache. She said he seemed out of place.

Maybe am old fashioned but this don't seem too right to me.I doubt that many people would even get whatever message he was delivering as it is basically a fete.I know I have listened to some gospel songs and would have been none the wiser if the announcer had not proclaimed it to be such.What are your thoughts?


Comments:
Something about his song stuck the judges and he made it to the finals against other singers. So if he reache 1 or 2 people, his song and message wasn't lost at all.
Although the Party Monarch is basically a fete, it's getting outta control, and some sense or morality needs to come back. The Bajan calapsonians were complaining of the lack of quality music nowadays. singers just putting out anything and calling it music, so a little start on the gospèl front may give them something to think about. The gospel tent also made it to the Pic-A-De-crop finals for Friday night.
 
i'm with you on this one abeni.
 
I get the impresion that anyone who didn't want to listen to his gospel message could go to another tent. If that's the case, variety is the spice of life.

As long as he is not being imposed on people and even then I believe in economic forces. If there isn't enough public support I'm sure that an invisible hand will usher him off the stage.
 
I agree with the comments.....
 
red T-shirts with the words: These Are My Church Clothes, written across the front

I found this line funny.
 
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