Kelvin Jacob (L), CEO, Spicemas Corp., Cheryl Vincent, Grenadian recording artiste; Ronald Rocque, Dominican-born analyst with the US Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) Management and Budget Offi ce and Gerry Hopkin, Grenadian consultant and community organizer. Photo by Nelson A. King
Spicemas CEO promotes carnival in Big Apple
By Nelson A. King
In the wake of what the Grenada
Tourist Board (GTB) describes as a phenomenal
24.9 percent growth in arrivals
for the 2018 Carnival Season, the chief
executive officer of Spicemas, Kelvin
Jacob, says he is on a mission to greater
promote the island’s carnival.
Hence, Jacob on Wednesday concluded
an eight-day trip to the Big Apple 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 Caribbean Life, in an
exclusive interview, prior to his departure
for home, that his purpose was to
“discuss operations as it relates to understanding
WIADCA’s (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.”
Additionally, the Spicemas CEO 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
Caribbean L 10 ife, September 13-19 2019
relative to the various WIADCA events,
and “network with key personnel and
create partnerships aimed at improving
the Spicemas Carnival Brand.”
Jacob said this first point of contact
was Gerry Hopkin, whom he met initially
when they were guests on a television
program in Grenada, in August 2018,
discussing Grenada’s carnival.
Hopkin is a Grenadian-born, Brooklyn
based international consultant and
community organizer with training and
experience in law, mass media, public
relations/marketing and business networking
aimed at sustainable economic
empowerment.
Jacob said soon after he was appointed
CEO of Spicemas Corporation on Feb.
1, Hopkin reached out to him “to offer
words of congratulations, and offered
his services to help in building relationships
with key personnel to foster the
growth of Spicemas on the international
level.”
He credited Hopkin with initiating
“the conversation” with WIADCA’s 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.
Jacob said he also met with Grenada’s
Consul General to New York, Aiden Pursoo;
Christine Noel-Horsford, director
of sales USA for the Grenada Tourism
Authority; and Dr. Roy A. Hastick, the
Grenadian-born president and founder
of the Brooklyn-based Caribbean American
Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(CACCI).
He said all parties he met with have
given their commitment to the promotion
of Spicemas in the New York
Diaspora.
Jacob said this year’s Spicemas
was “very successful, counting on the
number of visitors compared to 2018.”
He said 27,311 visitors came to the
island between July 15 and Aug. 13
2019.
“The shows this year were well-attended,
they started on time and was of
a very high standard,” he said. “We also
saw more people playing mas this year
as opposed to being spectators.”
Jacob said, this year, Spicemas had
all its shows produced, and reduced the
number of artistes in the Groovy, Soca
and Calypso competitions from 14 to 11,
16 to 11 and 15 to 10, respectively.
He said his plans for Spicemas is the
“preservation and revitalization of the
traditional mas, creating more opportunities
for stakeholders to better their
craft of music and mas-making geared
at improving the overall product, (and)
taking carnival to our schools as part
of the objective to drive sustainability of
our cultural traditions.”
Jacob said Spicemas is Grenada’s biggest
cultural festival, “which brings lots
of visitors to our shows, generating billions
of dollars to the economy.
“We can boast of our carnival being
one of the safest, with its own uniqueness
of our traditional mas, noted for
‘jab jab’ and Monday Night Mas; (and)
moreover, get to experience the warmth
and friendliness of the local people and
our pristine beaches.”
Jacob thanked Grenadian nationals
for the contributions they’ve made to
Spicemas over the years and asked that
they continue supporting Spicemas in
their “unique ways.”
“Let’s continue to keep our carnival
safe, clean and deeply-rooted in our cultural
traditions,” he urged.