WIADCA thanks carnival community and admits 59th New York Carnival brought significant challenges
Chairman Andrew Maloney said mas and steel band communities had at times felt unheard, and promised community conversations in the coming months.
NEW YORK, United States. The Brooklyn-based West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) has thanked the Caribbean community for the 59th New York Caribbean Carnival, while acknowledging that this year's event brought significant challenges for its mas and steel band communities.
In a statement on Friday, September 11, the association extended its "deepest gratitude" to masqueraders, bands, steel bands, cultural practitioners, volunteers, vendors, partners and supporters.
"As we enter our 60th year of stewardship of one of the nation's most significant Caribbean cultural presentations, WIADCA takes the responsibility of that stewardship very seriously," said Vincentian-born chairman of the board Andrew Maloney.
Concerns acknowledged
Maloney said that behind every costume, every note of pan and every band crossing Brooklyn's Parkway were "months of hard work, sacrifice, dedication, sweat, tears, financial investment, and an unwavering love of Caribbean culture".
He said this year's carnival brought "significant challenges, not only for WIADCA as an organisation, but for many of our stakeholders, particularly our mas and steel band communities".
Some of those challenges were within WIADCA's ability to address, while others resulted from "circumstances and requirements" beyond its direct control, he said.
Regardless of their origin, Maloney said the association recognised the "real concerns that have been raised by members of our cultural community who have, at times, felt unheard, unsupported, or sidelined".
"Our mas bands and steel bands are not simply participants in New York Carnival; they are among the cultural foundations upon which Carnival stands," he said.
Community conversations planned
Maloney said WIADCA would "create opportunities for community conversations" in the coming months with mas bands, steel bands, cultural stakeholders, members, partners and the wider Caribbean community.
"These discussions must go beyond identifying what went wrong," he said. "They must help us determine what needs to improve, what support our cultural groups need to thrive, and what practical pathways can be created to strengthen New York Carnival for the future."
He said the work could not be done by WIADCA alone, and that the association looked forward to working more closely with elected officials, city agencies, community leaders and cultural institutions so that public safety, operational requirements and cultural preservation "can work together rather than against one another".
"Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for your commitment," Maloney said.
