By: Staff Writer
December 25, 2020
2020’s Soca Monarch says that Carnival will be held virtually in 2021 and that Trinidad has a chance to “set the mark” on Caribbean festivals moving forward.
Iwer George, soca recording artist as well as 2020’s International Soca Monarch winner, told Caribbean Plus about the upcoming Carnival season for 2021 that he “thinks it’s going be a beautiful season and Trinidad and Tobago has the honours to set the mark, because Carnival is not just only about being on the road parade.” He went on to argue that Carnival is about the concerts, parties and fetes and activities that go along with the road march, but really it is about a month of activities and COVID-19 restraints can be contained for the event to still continue online.
2020’s Carnival was held virtually for persons in fear of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which George was crowned the Soca Monarch winner. Carnival in Miami, Florida, too was held virtually for the first time this year.
Mr George also said: “We do the Mas, we do the pan, we do the food and we do the socca, COVID-19 can’t change that.” He went on to say that the only thing COVID-19 can stop is the Mas, but everything else will continue on virtually.
Mr George also said that this Carnival season will be the “concert series of all series,” as bands will have their chance to be on centre stage and new talent will have a chance to be shown to a worldwide audience without the distraction of the Mas. “I think it’s a good opportunity for the artists, because now they get an opportunity to express themselves as the focus would be on them because they are the ones who will carry the baton, because the concerts have to be nice.”
Mr George also said: “At the end of the day, prior to the COVID-19, we were able to do a very good job and growing this whole industry to 5m to 10m worldwide.” He suggests all the Carnival Commission needs to do is package it and present the Carnival 2021 properly as they have the numbers and people are tuned in for it yearly.
There will be no coming to Carnival in 2021 Mr George said and that safety concerns over COVID-19 are moot.
Trinidad Carnival will be held on Monday, 15 February through to Tuesday, February 16. The event is not cancelled, as events will be held virtually.
The National Carnival Commission of Trinidad in a release on their website said that 2021’s Carnival has been cancelled. The website also said: “The National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (NCC) is in complete accord with the recent announcement by the Prime Minister, Dr. The Honourable Keith Rowley and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago with respect to the adjournment of Carnival 2021, in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
“As the Prime Minister rightfully indicated, the preservation of lives and livelihoods is of paramount importance, and, given the expected trajectory of the pandemic, it is highly unlikely at this time to consider as a given, the staging of the annual festival.”
“Our next steps, as an organisation committed to cultural development and celebration, therefore, depend heavily on building on the groundwork that we have already laid in place with our stakeholders to restructure and innovate Carnival and its many events, and exploring viable ways of digitally promoting the Festival, while safeguarding both its sustainability and the nation’s health and wellbeing.”
“The NCC remains optimistic as the Government’s announcement has undoubtedly further opened the way for meaningful discourse with regard to how we can still celebrate Carnival beyond the scope of a purely physical event, and provide avenues for many of the Festival’s industries and members to grow and develop during this challenging time.”
The NCC does not indicate on their website where persons can log on to view 2021’s Carnival festivities.
George will be hosting a Boxing Night concert with himself and a few other Trinidadian soca artists that you can see in Iwer TV on YouTube.