The Coordinator of the Trinidad Soca Chutney Monarch contest on Monday presented prize money totalling US$13,950 to the top three performers in the local competition who participated in the recent Trinidadian Chutney finals.
Terry Gajraj who placed 6th; Fiona Singh, 7th; and Haresh Singh, 10th each received US$4,650 at a ceremony hosted at the ministry on Friday, a press release from the Government Information Agency said.
In his address, Culture Minister Dr Frank Anthony told the gathering “I think that persons were kind of skeptical that this would happen, but we have demonstrated that we are able to do this, and because we have done so I think that our artistes are better in terms of their exposure to the wider audience in the Caribbean and even some countries in North America.” He said the ministry was able to deliver on its promises, including the texting component which was necessary for voting.
Echoing the importance of texting in the contest, Soca Chutney convenor Neaz Subhan said “We must understand the context of the competition, which is done 100% by texting in Trinidad and the fact that these three Guyanese coming in the top 10, shows the quality work of the artistes.” He also said the purpose of the collaboration was to improve the quality of local chutney as this level of exposure for local artists would directly affect the level of competition in Trinidad which is considered the Mecca of chutney around the world.
Anthony said some persons were able to attend the show which was held at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, affording them a first-hand look at the different elements that encompassed the competition “and I’m sure some of those elements we will try to incorporate in our competition.” “It is a really premier show and we are pleased that we are able to partner with Trinidad and to get our artistes to go,” he added.
