I was trying hard to get through today on Brass Tacks for the supposed Machel Montano controversy (i.e. – The ruction in a rum-bottle as opposed to tempest in teacup is this; why is a Trini here earning big bucks at a Bajan show?) – but I was left on hold for like 6 minutes twice! Hey, I have a life folks! I also have a blog and since your production assistants have poor time management skills, then things worked out okay in the end as I am still going to blow hard, but as long as I like and as nasty as I wanna be!

Maybe most Bajans have forgotten, but Montano forsook Caribana in Canada to study our heritage of Kadooment, and that’s a show where he can really fill his pockets. Also, as a token of his appreciation for his being a part of the NCF’s Cohobblopot, he is in the process of finalising a seminar for composers and performers right here in Barbados.

The singer has managed to draw the attention of Billboard journalists direct to this country as a result of his participation in Red Hot Cohobblopot {BTW: Rihanna is yet to lure overseas press here like that – if any gossip rags pass by to snap shots of her, then they are usually flit-by-nite for as long as she passes through to rest – not extended leave like the internationally acclaimed music magazine} and this means added coverage for this island as a destination for not only relaxation but to examine as a potential site for more Bajans making it big internationally.

To be really blunt, if I had a show and I wanted to draw a crowd and a “foreigner” can pull the folks rather than what’s here – believe me they are getting hired faster than you can say “CSME“! The concept of using outside talent at popular concerts overseas is nothing new; Canadian Sarah Mclachlan has played at USA’s Lollapalooza tour – as far as I am aware, no Americans were screaming at why a Canuck is playing at a USA event? Can anyone say “The British are coming!“ when the Beatles or Police took the same USA by storm decades apart?

Barbadians claim they’re preaching regional integration, we send representatives to Caricom summits, yet when the time comes for us to prove where we stand? We get on like a bunch of insular ar***oles! For CARICOM and movement of nationals, most Bajans are like what Owen Arthur once said – “We all want to go to heaven, but no one wants to die first!“

You have to decide which you’re leaning and stay with the decision, folks – if you wanna be able to go to other islands and grab jobs easily, then you have to accept the same thing is going to happen right HERE to us as well. Borrowing from Owen again, this is known as RECIPROCITY.

The Barbados Jazz Festival has a preponderance of foreign acts, not even necessarily Caribbean – yet we clap our hands each year and say well done… Why no cry for local talent then? You make me sick, I am going to Cohobblopot and find my cure!