VALDEEN SHEARS-NEPTUNE
Chairman of the Marabella Festival Council Allan Campbelle said the annual Monday Night Mas has been cancelled due to reduced funding from Government. Sponsorship has also been drastically affected, he told the T&T Guardian yesterday.
Campbelle, who was at the Council's annual Kiddies Carnival celebrations on the Marabella Main Road yesterday, said many residents have expressed disappointment over the cancellation.
"I guess even the sponsors taking Government advice and tightening their belts, because where some would donate up to $20,000, we got as low as $2,000 from them this year. As a result we had to forego the Monday night mas. It's a sad thing when culture has to be affected and residents, spectators and visitors have to be deprived of what they look forward to," he said.
Among spectators enjoying yesterday kiddies mas parade was Lenora Roberts, 82, who said she looks forward to the events hosted in her neighborhood. She was accompanied by her daughter Marian Ross-Woods, of Pleasantville, whose adult children once participated in Marabella's junior Carnival activities.
"Oh yes I prefer to come see the children more than the nakedness and beads and bikinis. I enjoy this," Roberts said.
Taking part in the event was Energy Minister Nicole Ollivierre, the MP for La Brea, and her children, Shayera, 9, and four-year-old Shomaris. Ollivierre said her daughter, who portrayed a fancy sailor, is no stranger to the stage, as she has play mas since she was a toddler. It was the second year for her son, who portrayed a midnight robber.