CROP-OVER STAKEHOLDERS are to meet with Prime Minister Owen Arthur on Friday to discuss revamping the festival.

Arthur, who is also Minister of Culture, said the festival needed to be renewed and refreshed.

"There are obviously issues . . . Something that has been going for a number of years, you need to renew it and refresh it. There will be a stakeholders' meeting and it will be renewed and refreshed," he said.

The festival has been dogged by controversies. These included disputes between the National Cultural Foundation and calypsonians, through the United Artistes of Barbados where the NCF wanted artistes performing on their stages to sign exclusivity contracts; the issuing of passes to performers, a call for additional security from the masqueraders, vendors' complaints about buying only from sponsors at Party Monarch while the sponsors also sold at the events, and the invitation of foreign artistes, namely Mr Vegas and Shurwayne Winchester, to perform at Cohobblopot and Party Monarch respectively.

Some of these issues were settled at a meeting with Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Reverend Joseph Atherley.

When asked for his view on this year's festival, the 33rd annual one, the Prime Minister said he would not pre-empt his upcoming meeting.

"There will be changes, because I think everybody senses there is a need for change. I rather use the words renew and refresh at this time," he said.

Against the background of violence by people infiltrating the Kadooment bands, the Barbados Association of Masqueraders is hoping to make that a key element of Friday's meeting. The association's president Roger Millar also said yesterday a lot needed to be done to enhance local mas'.

"The violence will obviously be a major element but the festival has grown and so has the numbers in terms of locals and visitors, so the Kadooment route needs to grow as well," he said.

Regarding the calypsonians' concerns, president of UAB David Kidsite Piggot said the major issue he would bring to the table would be the lack of respect shown to artistes and contributors.

"Agreements by the NCF have been broken. We had to reinforce this year an agreement made five years ago that past monarchs would get passes to the main events.

"We also asked for increases in Party Monarch prize monies, which were denied, but foreign artistes were paid to perform at that event," he said. (WB/RJ)