Barbados, like much of the Caribbean, finds itself at a critical juncture where culture, commerce, and public health are colliding in ways that can no longer be ignored. This was evident at this year’s Junior Kadooment, where the glitter and splendour of young masqueraders were shadowed by a deeper concern: the pervasive presence of fast-food sponsorship at a national event dedicated to children.
The issue, raised pointedly by Professor Emerita Eudine Barriteau, is not merely about the brand names printed on banners and T-shirts but also about the broader contradiction between what we say we value as a society and what we are willing to allow in the pursuit of short-term financial support.
For years, Barbados has been waging a war against non-communicable diseases (NCDs)—a battle underscored by alarming statistics. Childhood obesity is on the rise. Hypertension, diabetes and heart disease continue to claim lives at a rate that dwarfs many other causes of death. The Ministry of Health, schools, and civil society organisations have worked hard to promote healthy eating habits and active lifestyles, particularly among our youth.
But it is not enough to speak of healthy lifestyles in classrooms, clinics and policy documents while promoting products high in sugar, salt and fat at family-friendly cultural events. This contradiction not only undermines the National School Nutrition Policy, but also conditions young minds to associate joy, reward and celebration with foods that are slowly harming them.
Yes, festivals like Crop Over come with significant costs, and yes, corporate sponsorship is vital to sustaining cultural programming. But sponsorship must be aligned with national priorities. We cannot have it both ways: publicly decrying the burden of NCDs while courting the very industries that contribute to the problem.
This isn’t about vilifying any one company or industry. Fast-food businesses operate legally, pay taxes, employ Barbadians, and have the right to market their products. But the government, event organisers, and society as a whole also have a responsibility to curate the messages our children receive, particularly in public spaces funded or supported by the state.
If Junior Kadooment is a showcase of national pride and creativity, then we must ask ourselves what kind of pride we are nurturing when we allow conflicting values to take centre stage. Shouldn’t our children be surrounded by messages that reinforce health, vitality, sustainability, and care, not just for their bodies but for their futures?
There are alternatives. Local food vendors who serve healthy, homegrown meals. Fitness brands and wellness advocates eager to align with youth-oriented events. Public health initiatives that could be given a platform alongside the costumes and music. We have the creativity and capability to reimagine how sponsorship and celebration can coexist without contradiction.
Moreover, we must consider the cultural weight of such moments. Festivals like Crop Over are not just commercial events—they are spiritual, historical, and communal. They shape our collective identity. They imprint values on the young. What we permit at these events speaks volumes about who we are and what we prioritise.
The call here is not for boycotts or bans but for balance, for responsibility, for leadership that sees the big picture and dares to do the hard thing in the name of our nation’s well-being.
It is also a call for coherence between public health policy and public celebration, between what we teach in schools and what we show on the streets, and between what we say we want for our children and what we actually provide.
Junior Kadooment should be a symbol of joy, freedom, and cultural pride. And our children deserve better than for their joy to be used an opportunity to sell them junk.
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