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The verdict is still out on whether or not State Insurance Company Limited will have a change of heart as it relates to its title sponsorship for the National Panorama competition.
Minister of Festivals and Creative Industries Daryll Mathew told a news conference on Monday that the statutory corporation opted out of his sponsorship due to what was a breakdown in negotiations between the Pan Association and the Festivals Ministry over an increase in its annual allocation.
“It’s a bit unfortunate that I have to announce that State Insurance Company has decided to back out of the sponsorship of Panorama because of the ‘back and forth’ between the pan association and the Commission,” the minister said.
He also issued an appeal to the management and the board of directors to reconsider its decision.
“This epitomizes what we have been trying to avoid where we have an event which always seemed to be shrouded in controversy being seen as a turnoff. We are hoping that with a multi-year agreement, all that is ow behind us and we can now proceed to market the event, market pan and Antigua and Barbuda generally,” he added
President of the Steel Band Association, Patrick Stone Johnson, also committed to reaching out to the company himself, to have it reverse the decision.
The decision was communicated verbally to the stakeholders, the company have yet to issue a statement on the matter
The SIC should stick to it’s guns. Once again, the Steelband Association has out played their hand, caught up as they are with their own hallucinations of grandeur. This is 2024 and there is hardly a place in the world where steelband is not taught, played or listened to. Foŕ our pan association to present to the authorities their greedy pay-or-no-play demand, I say, to the latter, do not indulge them in their petulant, self serving tantrums. Let them tale their million dollar fee and sponsor themselves! Their relevance today, whether we want to admit it or not, is limited only to Panorama night. That night could be put to more exciting and profitable entertainment. There is a great deal of unearthed talent here in Antigua.