Edmond Bradshaw (centre), Director General of the Barbados Red Cross Society, sits with Velda Octave-Joseph (left), Community Disaster Planning Specialist with CDEMA and Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, UN Resident Coordinator.
Song competition launched
6/8/2012
By Regina Selman Moore
Spice it up! Sing for Preparedness, a National Song Competition being hosted by the Disaster Management Project of the Barbados Red Cross Society, was launched yesterday at UN House in Barbados.
Edmond Bradshaw, Director General of the Barbados Red Cross Society, noted that the competition is one way of raising awareness on issues surrounding climate change and disasters through the mobilisation of cultural creativity, while promoting volunteerism in disaster management. It also represents an opportunity to promote local talents on the national and the regional scene.
Joan Bastide, Disaster Risk Reduction Delegate with the French Red Cross, one of the organisations funding the initiative, added that the contest is also a move to tap into youth creativity and innovation by building on the rich and diverse heritage of uplifting and conscious music the region offers. Stressing that the Caribbean has experienced in the recent past diverse and devastating natural hazards, including hurricanes, landslides and flooding, he highlighted the need for greater awareness campaigns on disaster risk reduction. However, these should be presented in a fun, entertaining and uplifting manner so as to extend the reach they may have to youthful and other audiences, Bastide said.
Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Representative, also lent her support to the worthwhile initiative.
This competition will see 15 instrumentals, covering various popular styles produced by local and international artistes, being made available for download on the website of the Barbados Red Cross (www.barbadosredcross.org). Participants will be asked to write a song about disasters or climate change, and post their demo online by the deadline, which is Sunday July 1, 2012. A jury made up of disaster management specialists and recognised artistes will then select the ten best demos, after which the participants chosen will be given the opportunity to present their song during a public live concert. The three best songs will also receive a prize, while the five best songs from each country across the region will be recorded in a professional studio and published on a CD. Copies of the CD will be distributed regionally to the media, schools, disaster management agencies and local branches of the Red Cross. The ten best songs will also be selected to perform live for the final, which will take place on July 7, 2012 at Lester Vaughan Secondary School.
While the song competition is open to individuals of any age, it has been noted that the youth form a major percentage of the CARICOM population – 60 per cent to be precise – and this is why they are being targeted as invaluable partners in development.
Indeed, McDonnough said that the UNDP is supporting the initiative via its Youth Innovation (Youth-IN): Caribbean Network for Youth Development Project, which was implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Barbados OECS office to give young people opportunities to change the world.
Support from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has also come from Velda Octave-Joseph, Community Disaster Planning Specialist with that organisation. She stated that youth must become champions for change where disaster risk management at the level of the community is concerned.
To date, the Barbados Light and Power Company Limited and the Royal Shop have come on board as sponsors, offering prizes to the winners.
