Arts and Culture Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said yesterday that the 55-year-old Kalypso Revue tent, which closed last week due to financial constraints, will be given an injection of $150,000 to keep their doors open for Carnival.
The minister made the announcement as she distributed cheques to representatives of unsponsored steel bands for Carnival 2018. The event was held at Nicholas Towers, Port-of-Spain.
Some 115 unsponsored bands received Government sponsorships totalling to $1.3 million to assist them with their operations.
In regard to Kalypso Revue she said, “We have been discussing to at least open their doors to keep them on the landscape and we are looking at what we are able to do and not what they wanted. We have to look at what we are able to do maybe a third more like $150,000,” she said.
But when contacted later, head of the tent, Michael “Sugar Aloes” Osouna, said he would still be in arrears despite the funds from the ministry.
At a press conference last week, Osouna said the tent would require $500,000 in Government funding in order to revive the show for the remainder of the Carnival season. Osouna also called for corporate sponsorship or anyone who would be able to assist financially.
At yesterday’s event, Gadsby-Dolly said she was pleased with Sunday’s Panorama competition.