Trinidad: Soca fraternity in uproar over earnings

This is getting to be an interesting revelation since I last reported here and here.



Caribbean Prestige Foundation for the Performing Arts (CPF) is today holding the nation’s soca artistes who performed in its Carnival 2009 competitions to ransom, by withholding their cash prizes until they sign over a percentage to the organisation. In a letter dated March 20, and issued by CPF executive president Gregory Fernandez, contestants in the bmobile International Soca Monarch Competition and the National Lotteries Classic Groovy Monarch have been told they would have no access to their cash awards until they meet the organisation’s demands.


These artistes, according to Fernandez, were required to sign a new CPF contract which commits them to give five per cent of their winnings back to the foundation, and in the case of Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez, the document obligates her to defend her crown. Former Power monarchs Bunji Garlin and Shurwayne Winchester, Hunter and Nadia Batson are the artistes who have gone public with the matter. They said the clause in the revised contract was new to them. Further, they don’t know where the money would be going since the competition benefits from extensive sponsorship.


Sunday Guardian learnt that Kerwyn DuBois and Blaxx, of Roy Cape All Stars, who did not sign the contract, had cheques cut in their names for Friday’s prize-distribution ceremony held at the Ballroom of the Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre in St Ann’s, Port-of-Spain. However, the money was deducted without their consent, a source revealed. Many local contestants boycotted the awards. Read more