Leila Vernon tops ?Brokdong? competition
At times it seemed that NICH was flogging a dead horse–or perhaps Ramsey’s dead mule–when it tried to promote the revival of Brukdown music by means of a competition. But on Friday night the doubts were laid to rest as the new Bliss reverberated to some fine old beats. This morning News 5’s Jacqueline Woods was on hand as the winners received their prizes.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Leila Vernon has good reasons to be singing. This morning, the well known Creole singing sensation walked off with most of the awards in Friday night?s competition at the Bliss Institute of Creative Arts. Vernon says she did not expect to win the Special Award for Content, Outstanding Master?s Award, Brukdown Artists of the Year and the Song of the year Balahu.
Leila Vernon, Overall Winner, Brukdown Competition
?In the past we term Balahu as people lively and they laugh loud and it?s free, loud; like you don?t care. You give up all your problems like hahahahaha. Who cares? You do not care; that?s Balahu.?
Vernon, who received a total of five thousand dollars, says she did not enter the competition for the money but to help preserve a part of Belize?s culture.
Leila Vernon
?I never use to sing Brukdown that much except when I got my dance company I begin to do the more traditional Brukdown style which is the Burro style. It?s a bit different from mister Peters because we incorporate a lot of drumming, a lot of percussion you know.?
The competition?s runner up Alford Butler received two thousand, two hundred and fifty dollars. The first ever Brukdown competition received financial donations from First Caribbean bank in the amount of five thousand dollars and from Belize Electricity Limited for three thousand dollars. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
Other sponsors include Travellers, Hotel Mopan, NICH and the Institute of Creative Arts. ICA’s Director William Neal says they were pleased with the number of entries and the calibre of talent. He added that they have plans to make the Brukdown competition an annual pre-Christmas event. As for the spelling of the word Brukdown, it should be noted that the official Kriol Council version is B-R-O-K-D-O-N-G.
