The Barbados Association of Creatives and Artistes (BACA) is demanding transparency, dialogue and fair treatment in the case of veteran calypsonian and broadcaster Ronnie De Announcer Clarke, who remains on paid leave from Starcom Network pending the outcome of disciplinary proceedings.
The actions relate to Clarke’s Pic-o-de-Crop song National Carol Festival, a critique of the National Cultural Foundation and its Chief Executive Officer, Carol Roberts. He went on to place third in the 2025 finals.
In a statement issued over the weekend, BACA expressed grave concern over Clarke’s treatment and urged open discussion to resolve the matter, which it says raises serious concerns about freedom of expression, cultural participation, and workers’ rights.
It contended that the issue extends beyond the individual and affects the wider cultural community.
“We therefore call on all creatives, cultural practitioners, stakeholders, and citizens to stand with BACA in solidarity. Use your voices. Speak out on social media. Write to your representatives. Call for fairness and justice. This is bigger than one man. It is about preserving a Barbados where art is free, where culture thrives, and where no one is punished for speaking truth through song.”
BACA noted that although the song “was widely hailed as one of the most impactful pieces of social commentary of the season” and was broadcast live on state media, it was banned from airplay on Starcom. The association said the station later aired the same performance during a sponsored broadcast and replayed it on multiple occasions, contradicting its earlier rationale for the ban.
The association explained that it had first written to Starcom’s General Manager, Anthony Greene, seeking clarification and subsequently escalated the matter to the Group CEO of Starcom’s parent company, One Caribbean Media (OCM).
BACA also raised concerns about the broader implications of the case for media leadership in the region, noting that Starcom’s general manager currently serves as president of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union.
“This situation also raises troubling questions about leadership. When the president of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union is seen to be presiding over actions that amount to censorship of cultural expression, it challenges the very principles of free and fair broadcasting that the region expects from its media leaders,” it said.
BACA insists the situation is no longer merely an internal employment matter but one that touches on national principles of free speech, artistic freedom, and the right to private pursuits without fear of victimisation. (BT)
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