Politics and festivals – the serious approach

The last-ditch effort of the organizers of Broward Carnival and the somewhat reluctant approval of the Fort Lauderdale commission for the use of The Fort Lauderdale Stadium to stage the "homeless carnival" is again additional evidence of the intertwined relationship between politics and Caribbean festivals in South Florida. It is therefore imperative that the relationship is taken seriously, and approached in the same manner one pursues a love interest.

There is no doubt that festivals such as Unite-A-Fest in March, The Best of the Best in May, UniFest in June, The Jamaican Jerk Festival in September and Carnival in October all positively impact the general South Florida community from an economic as well as cultural perspective. Other similar and to a degree smaller events held throughout the year, also make a valuable contribution to enrich the vibrant cultural landscape that is South Florida.

While this is not news to members of the Caribbean community, politicians on the other hand have the impression that these festivals negatively impact the community and most see them as an inconvenience and disruption of their respective cities daily lifestyle.

Don't fault the politicians and public administrators who have formed this opinion. They are merely acting on information they have received, mainly from complaining residents who are not open-minded and have no understanding of our culture. So all they see is a bunch of noisemakers, who litter the streets, block traffic and create unnecessary disruption of daily activities. To change these politicians’ point of view, organizers of these events need to submit positive information, in a factual manner so that politicians and public administrators can learn of the positive impact of Caribbean festivals to the general South Florida community.

One of the interesting phenomena that has overtaken much of North American over the last decade or so is the presence of support groups. They range anywhere from alcoholic anonymous to support groups for our pets. Support groups are common both in religious and secular organizations. The question is why? Why do we need support groups? Psychologists and other care givers tell us that support groups are necessary for mental health. People heal faster emotionally when they are in a group setting.

It just seems to make us feel a lot better when we realize that we are not alone in the challenging situations we face. I believe one of the key reasons we gravitate to support groups is because we are wired for community. Though we are individuals we function better when we join forces with each other in community. In the Bible we are told that “All of us should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.” (1Peter 3:8)

Let me give you several reasons why we need to be supportive of each other. Support is based on loving each other. When we love each other we find it easier to identify and address each other’s needs. Love binds us together and removes fear from a community. One of the essential pieces that allow any relationship or community to function effectively is the safety of the people within the community. Where there is love there is support and where there is support there is safety. The absence of all of that is fear and fear produces all kinds of vices in a relationship or community.

You get these generous offers all the time via email, from folks you have never met.

The offer is usually from some high-ranking government official or bank executive living in Nigeria or some other African nation. The offer states that this person has come in possession of a huge amount of money and has chosen of all persons, YOU, to share this windfall. They need your assistance to move millions of dollars to the United States and are willing to share a sizeable portion of this bounty with you in exchange for your assistance.

The proposition is so simple, so easy, requires nothing much from you and promises so much. Literally it is an offer you can’t refuse with nothing to lose and so much to gain. Sure we all could use a couple extra hundred thousand dollars. Your thoughts wander into fantasyland, a new car, renovate the house, and pay off all those bills, oh yes, that money would surely come in handy. In addition, you will be helping some “poor” person whose life is threatened to escape an evil and oppressive regime.

Snap back to reality and hit the delete button. This is a scam, and only a fool would fall for that kind of trickery, so you continue at your boring job, as common sense prevail and you see it for exactly what it is, a feeble attempt to separate you from your hard earned dollars. This is the modern day version of the “three card man” or the myriad versions of trickery con-men use to take money from the unsuspecting or greedy individual.

It is amazing how many people are tricked and lose hard-earned money to con-men who utilize these scams. Usually it is the elderly whose main motivation at times is to help the person with the proposed problem or sometimes they see it as an opportunity to enrich themselves, as they struggle to cope with monthly bills on their retirement income. Mostly though it is the person who sees the opportunity to “get rich quick” and in the process end up losing. We hear little about these as most times the victims are embarrassed to go public as they realize just how foolish they have been.

Everyone likes to get a good deal, everyone likes to get something for nothing, but greed plays a big part of why so many people throw common sense aside and allow themselves to be taken for an expensive ride. The unsettling fact is that such ploys are not only used by the sleazy con-man in Nigeria. The con-game is played by high-paid advertising executives on Madison Avenue, who use slick glossy advertising and play on words to take your hard-earned dollar from you by selling products which do not deliver as they are touted. These are more dangerous than the high-ranking government official who solicits your assistance via email.

Send comments to Eddy at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Eddy Edwards is host of Caribbean Riddims aired on WTPS 1080 am every Saturday 3-6 pm. Visit his website at www.caribbeanriddims.com