Let me first declare that I was only tangentially connected to Truck Fest 2k8 through the use of our venue and allied services. When I first heard about t Truck Fest- held last week Sunday at Richmond Estate Recreation Park- I thought it was an obviously novel addition to our cultural landscape, but will admit that I was a bit skeptical about its ability to attract the large audience projected by the promoters. Maybe, this is because I do not share the fascination with motor vehicles that is a general characteristic of most men.
In the long run, while the numbers attending the event fell far short of the organisers’ anticipated target; I was pleasantly surprised at the significant turnout of families to the event. Before the function, I was intrigued to witness how their scheduled programme would manifest in its implementation and especially how it would impact attendees. In addition to the customary children’s rides and games, the festival had trucks on display and various competitions, including some which judged the skills of drivers as well as best horn, best sound system and best truck.
To be fair, the general feedback was quite positive. There were however, some drawbacks. For instance, there were obvious gaps in the scheduling and the array of activities. Some of the early patrons, having visited all the main exhibits, witnessed and/or participated in the various competitions, became somewhat bored during the hiatus leading up to the commencement of the stage show, which got under way in the early evening. Looking ahead, I am sure the promoters will use this year’s experience to guide them in correcting these programmatic weaknesses when planning their 2009 renewal.
Given the foregoing, it is most unfortunate that most of the post-production headlines dedicated to Truck Fest 2k8 have focused on the incident that prematurely ended the event in a chaotic manner. On Tuesday, October 21, Chat! headlined their page 17 with “Truck Fest Mash Up”, although page 11 of the same edition did give some balance, with captioned pictures of artistes who performed at Truck Fest and many happy patrons headlined “Ochi Gets Bumping”.
The Star on Tuesday, reported on page 2 “Bottle Throwing Incident Ends Truck Fest”. Then in Wednesday’s edition the headline on page 11 was “Mavado’s Management to Sue Truck Fest Promoters”.
From all the information that I have been able to glean from both sides since the event, this last report referred to is fairly accurate in giving the perspectives of the two principal sides in this saga. I must say however, that in a conversation with me, one of the promoters challenged the accuracy of some of the statements ascribed to them in the article. I also spoke with Julian Jones-Griffith who denies having told the Star tabloid that he intends to sue the promoters. Both sides also indicated to me an interest in privately meeting to resolve the issue amicably. I hope they get together soon to pursue this objective.
There is a sordid third side to this unfolding drama, however, on which there has been too little focus. The role of an emcee at stage shows like all live events, comes with a serious responsibility to maintain public order and decorum. A good emcee is one who pulses in tune with his audience, who quickly and accurately assesses their mood at any given moment during the proceedings. The objective of his communication with the audience is not simply to provide excitement- the hype- but to provide information in an accurate and balanced manner, so that his audience behaves appropriately. I know I have addressed this issue in the past, but given the recent incident, it is necessary to speak out on this critical role yet again.
For the third time- in my presence- MC Nuffy again did an egregious disservice to the sector in general and the relevant promoters who were paying him in particular. When the unfortunate confrontation between Mavado’s entourage and the unidentified cop occurred backstage, without allowing –the intervention of the promoter’s management- for a positive resolution, MC Nuffy took the mike, ran onstage and announced to the audience “Unnu dun know seh when artiste a roll, dem have all 30 people wid dem. And right yah now, dem have a portion a people inna VIP, who nuh fi deh inna VIP. So mi a seh dem fi free up VIP.” He then quickly raced offstage; narrowly escaping a volley of bottles which began to rain down upon the stage and the VIP section. This was answered by a barrage of gunshots from the VIP section, immediately followed by more gunshots from the southern side of the general audience. At this point, most people scrambled for some form of safety, some even scaling the fences to exit in the most direct and quickest manner. Thank God no one seems to have been seriously hurt, but again Nuffy’s actions aggravated a bad situation and in my view borders on incitement to riot.
Ninja Man as well as other acts were back stage, prepared to come on and this might have given the promoters and Mavado’s management the time needed to resolve the issue, while keeping the fans happy and unharmed. Instead, Nuffy’s actions threatened personal injury of Mavado’s musicians who were still in place on the stage, the safety of fans and production equipment and the reputation of the event. Had he handled the situation more professionally, the event would have continued to its natural end.
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