The directors of the Caribbean Prestige Foundation, Geoffrey Wharton-Lake and Ricky Ragoonanan, have announced that the International Soca Monarch competition has been cancelled this year. This announcement comes after the stakeholders of the competition spent 72 hours deliberating, only to agree that it would be better to scrap it entirely due to financial constraints.
Despite receiving money from the government, Ragoonanan said that the budget they were given was not sufficient, adding that, “Soca Monarch is the only stepping stone for new artistes but the government has to see that, and if they don’t see it fit, they killing the culture. The promoters are not bringing the new singers on stage, that is the only platform these guys have.” The budget was not disclosed by the team, although they mentioned that the winner of the competition would have walked away with a whopping TT$2.5 million.
Wharton-Lake also indicated that this year the competition had been going to take on a new shape, as they had submitted a proposal to include past winners competing with new singers.
Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Randall Mitchell, later revealed the organisers were effectively asking for TT$10 million, an amount he thought too great as he considered it, “Unconscionable for the Government to underwrite the full cost of an event that is privately owned.”
National Carnival Commission (NCC) chairman Winston ‘Gypsy’ Peters also indicated that the NCC does not have money to fully fund major events, and can only lend some assistance.
Wharton-Lake and Ragoonanan have stated their intent to rally other stakeholders to support the successful revival of the competition – or to walk away if the feedback is negative.
This is the first time in 30 years – since it began in 1993 – that the Soca Monarch competition has been voluntarily cancelled.
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