Producer of the Republic Bank Grand Kadooment, Adisa ‘Aja’ Andwele.

Producer of the Republic Bank Grand Kadooment, Adisa ‘Aja’ Andwele.

Tributes flow for late bandleader

 

Some of the major contributors to the Crop Over Festival have been paying tribute to the late Band Designer, Renee Ratcliffe who died suddenly on Grand Kadooment Day.
 
Ratcliffe, who created this year’s designs for the band, Lucky Horseshoe JUMP Promotions, collapsed and later died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Monday. 
 
During that day’s parade she was the Section Leader, “Serket Vixen”. She had joined with her band during its presentation before the judges at position two at the National Stadium. Her band this year carried the theme, ‘Happy, Go Lucky’. 
 
In his remarks, Producer of the Republic Bank Grand Kadooment, Adisa “Aja” Andwele described that late Band Designer as someone who was passionate about mas. 
 
“She was totally bubbly, a live-wire, hyper, fun-loving [and] Kadooment meant so much to her and mas and Crop Over. She was very serious about Grand Kadooment and she is one person that wanted to see traditional mas in Barbados grow and evolve and that is something which I felt needed to happen too. Not just Crop Over or not just Kadooment per se but the development of something called, Barbadian mas using the folk characters and the history and the folklore of Barbados.”
 
Also, paying tribute was Bandleader, Gwyneth Squires who shared that earlier on Monday morning she had breakfast outside the National Stadium with Renee. Squires further told The Barbados Advocate that her “good friend” was a “very, very nice person”.
 
In her tribute, Bandleader Betty West said “it is very sad because she is a young person and she contributed a lot also to this cultural event. So it is always sad when you hear someone has passed away but when it is someone young and much younger than you, it is very painful.”
 
In an interview with The Barbados Advocate, after her presentation went before the judges, the late Renee voiced her love for Kadooment. She also wished all the revellers journeying to Spring Garden a great day.
 
“I want them to wuk-up good, have a good time, have a ball and enjoy themselves,” she then stated.

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