CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The St. Lucia government has warned promoters that it will be putting in place stringent measures, to ensure that visiting artistes conform to the laws of the country.
The announcement follows a no show by Jamaican artiste, Mavado for the third consecutive occasion, as well as non-appearances by Jamaican performers.
Scores of patrons were left frustrated over the weekend, after several foreign artistes including Gyptian of Jamaica and Peter Ram of Barbados, failed to turn up for a show that would have featured the best of local reggae talent.
Tourism and Creative Industries Lorne Theophilius said that he is extremely concerned at what is becoming a regular occurrence, adding that while government does not want to place an extra burden on artistes, regulations must be put in place to ensure that St. Lucians are not short changed.
“We need to do certain background checks to ensure that there is a certain measure of credibility so that at the end of the day out people are not left holding the short end of the stick.
“It is a move that has now become very necessary because the fact that it has happened on three occasions in the case of one particular artiste shows that some regulations are necessary so that we do not have another such instance as has happened in the past,” Theophilius said.
Former executive director of the Cultural Development Foundation, Teddy Francis, said the authorities should vet promoters based on a criteria that includes financial stability before being allowed to produce any show on the island.
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