The organizers of “Spicemas” are eager to spread the word about Grenada’s carnival in the United States.
“Jacob, Kelvin”Kelvin Jacob, the carnival’s chief executive officer, said that in the wake of what the Grenada Tourist Board (GTB) described as a phenomenal 24.9 percent growth in arrivals for the 2018 carnival season, he is on a mission to promote the event.
Jacob recently concluded an eight-day trip to New York to “discuss the creation of a collaborative network of exchange, and sharing of ideas and support that will enhance our cultural product output in 2020 and beyond.”
He also told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), prior to his departure for home, that his purpose was to “discuss operations as it relates to understanding WIADCA’s (the Brooklyn-based West Indian American Day Carnival Association) festival and that of Grenada and other countries in the region, geared towards learning from and supporting the growth of each other."
OPPORTUNITIES
Additionally, Jacob said he discussed the “initiation of the planning of opportunities for our Grenadian artistes to come to New York to participate in Labor Day activities based on a criterion that takes popularity (status as National Calypso/Soca/Groovy Monarchs and National Carnival Queen) and inclusive national representation into consideration.”
His mission also served to promote Spicemas 2020 and observe logistics relative to the various WIADCA events, and “network with key personnel and create partnerships aimed at improving the Spicemas Carnival Brand.”
Jacob said the first point of contact was Gerry Hopkin, whom he met initially when they were guests on a television program in Grenada in Aug. 2018, discussing Grenada’s carnival.
Hopkin is a Grenadian-born, Brooklyn-based international consultant and community organizer. Jacob said soon after he was appointed CEO of Spicemas Corp., on Feb. 1, Hopkin congratulated him, and offered his services to help in building relationships with key personnel to foster the growth of Spicemas on the international level.
‘THE CONVERSATION’
He credited Hopkin with initiating “the conversation” with WIADCA’s Dominican-born president Dr. Jean Joseph “about having WIADCA explore ways to expand their collaborative working relationship with carnival-celebrating countries in the Caribbean, and reached out to me about engaging WIADCA accordingly.
“I immediately embraced the idea, because it is consistent with my vision of finding ways to collaboratively preserve, optimally develop and gainfully showcase the value of our cultural products and festivals at home and in the diaspora,” Jacob said. “Hence, on the heels of a successful Spicemas 2019, I have already started working on 2020.
“I have already held a meeting with Dr. Joseph that was arranged by Mr. Hopkin to begin the conversation about how Spicemas and other Caribbean carnival-celebrating countries can collaboratively and deliberately work, share ideas and cross-market with WIADCA in ways that produce results that would be of mutual benefit to the goals of our organizations, and toward the preservation and the appropriate monetization of the showcasing of our talent from across the region in the diaspora,” he added.
