Managing Director and founder of Monde Mas, Corey Garrett, is pushing back against concerns over foreign involvement in the new Crop Over band, insisting it remains “100 per cent Bajan” at its core.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY at the band’s headquarters upstairs the Massy Stores building in Warrens, Garrett acknowledged that while there has been some external investment, including from Trinidadian soca artistes Bunji Garlin and Fay-Ann Lyons, the identity and direction of Monde Mas are firmly rooted in Barbados.
He explained that the inclusion of international partners aligns with a broader vision to expand the reach of Crop Over beyond the island’s shores.
“We have some very big thinkers on our team, and part of that big thinking is, of course, how do we even grow the presence of Crop Over outside of Barbados regionally, internationally,” Garrett said.
While noting the government’s ongoing efforts to promote the festival, he stressed that private entities also have a responsibility to contribute to its global visibility.
“So via different partnerships, even from Monde’s directorship, we have already embraced the vision of taking Crop Over to the world, taking it globally to the diaspora markets, the new carnival markets, so people know that at the end of the day, when they come to Barbados, Barbados has Monde Mas… Barbados has Crop Over”, he added.
Garrett maintained that despite the strategic partnerships, the band’s foundation remains local.
“We are 100 per cent Bajan, funded in Barbados, but looking to export our brand with our investors, with our partners to the globe,” he said.
Turning to the philosophy behind Monde Mas, Garrett described the band as a fusion of innovation and deep industry experience, aimed at redefining the Crop Over experience.
“It’s about innovation, but it’s also rooted in a lot of experience, a lot of culture,” he explained, noting that members of the band’s leadership team bring years of involvement in the festival.
“We’ve taken all of those years of experience… the innovation, the creativity, the contacts, the relationships, and moulded it pretty much into something very new, which is now the birth of Monde Mas, which is a new direction for Kadooment in Barbados.”
