Hey guys, your favourite middle-aged white British woman here. It's Band Launch Season so you know what that means - band launch reviews. These reviews cause a whole set of bacchanal because, basically, who likes being reviewed? Especially on a very public platform. Band leaders and committee members suddenly develop very thin skins as they believe the product they put out should be above criticism.
But that's ok.
We give bands permission to be vex with us. Because bands do not need Bazodee to validate them. Neither do we need bands or brands to agree with us to validate our reviews. Our role is simply to give bands and brands the necessary feedback and tough love so they can reach the peak of their potential. We want the best for you because the best version of you is what is best for the Crop Over festival as a whole.
This band launch season, to paraphrase Iyanla Vanzant, there is going to come a moment when you are not gonna like us. You are going to be highly highly pissed off with us. Some of you are even gonna want to fight us (LMAO). We give you permission to do all of that. Because at the end of the day, Bazodee is going to win and that "win" is a victory for all of us.
Our vision is this: Bazodee is here to assist brands and bands in reaching the next level. Our reviews, opinions and constructive criticisms are not designed to rip down any brand, but to inspire brands to dig deeper, reach further and strive to do better. We want to inspire brands to be the best they can be, to reach their full potential and to achieve the potential that we see in them. When the bands and brands that make up Crop Over operate at their full potential, then Crop Over as a product will be able to reach a new level.
When it comes to Crop Over, we are all in this ship together. When a band or a brand fails to perform to the expected standard, it damages the festival as a whole. Nobody comes away saying X band from Foreday Morning was bad, they say Foreday Morning was crappy. The same goes for Kadooment, which then rolls into "Crop Over was crappy". We've had reviews from Jamaicans, Americans and Trinidadians who have all said they will not do Crop Over again because their chosen band failed to deliver the costume promised after it had taken their money. This is why we applauded when the other bands stepped in after Fantasy Barbados pulled out last year, to ensure that revellers still had a good Crop Over. We must be able to see the forest for the trees, that is we must be able to see the bigger picture and what part we play in it.
Whether we like it or not, we are all in this together. If tourism is our business, then we all have a part to play. Let's not settle for mediocrity when it comes to Barbados' largest national festival. The world is turning to Barbados for a world-class product and it is time for us to step our game up.
