By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

SIGNIFICANT accomplishments in the creative industries were recognised during the 15th annual Cacique Awards on Sunday at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort. Musician Dillion “D-Mac “Mckenzie and gospel group Adrian Edgecombe & Harvest Generation received the People’s Choice Awards in music. Merton Thompson, owner of Androsia Batik Factory, received the Creative Arts Award.

The Cacique Awards represented the national honour for the highest achievement in the tourism sector. Janet Johnson, director of groups and events at the Ministry of Tourism said the awards provide motivation for musicians and those in the creative industry to produce quality work on a consistent basis.

“It is a recognition of their work by the wider public and their peers. They are stacked up against the best in the Bahamas and so to win is very prestigious and gives them bragging rights for at least two years until the next awards ceremony. We hope the winners will use the Cacique logo and insignia in their promotional material and proposals as a mark of excellence, Ms Johnson told Tribune Arts.
D-Mac who first launched himself and his music two years ago, set out to take Bahamian music to the highest level. He released some of the catchiest songs with the most memorable lyrics like “married da gaulin” and “dog don’t bark at parked car”.
He said the nomination alone signified that he had reached a high level that some only hoped to attain, very early in his career.

“This means so much to me. It is an accomplishment because I am still very new. This goes to show that there is some level of recognition in this country for the work that artists and musicians have done. This is an encouragement for me to keep on writing and releasing music,” he said.
D-Mac won awards for song writing and stage performance.

“My next step is to take Bahamian music international. It can and will be done,” he said.
Nominations for the creative arts and the people’s choice categories were conducted differently. The creative arts nominees went through a preselection process of panellists who discussed the merit of each candidate. They determined a short list of five candidates and submitted the list to the Blue Ribbon Panel for their consideration. The panel then selected three finalists.

“Merton Thompson, Androsia was selected for the body of work that he has produced since 1973, the uniqueness and sustainability of the brand that he created. The creative arts criteria, as with most of the awards, is to show a consistently high quality body of work that is sustainable and has bearing on the tourism product,” Ms Johnson said.
The people’s choice category was broken down into two sub categories - secular and gospel. The songs selected were based on their popularity in the last two years. They were chosen by radio deejay’s and sales agents.

The public determined who the gospel and secular finalists were by voting on the event’s website. The nominee with the highest number of votes was deemed the winner.
Dr Patricia Rodgers, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism said: “It gives me great personal pride to see the level to which the Cacique Awards has matured and the stature which it has attained since its inception in 1995 and great satisfaction to know that the duho remains a coveted symbol of excellence for those who uphold the tradition of delivering hospitality and service to the industry.”


Creative Arts Finalist
Jamaal Rolle- Nassau Artist
Merton Thompson -Andros Batik Factory
Maria Govan - Nassau Film Maker



The People’s Choice Awards Finalist



Gospel
Terrence Forbes - Caribbean Medley
Adrian Edgecombe & Harvest Genration - Overcomer (Israel’s & Song)
Terez Davis - Let Us Sing Hallelujah

Secular
Dillion McKenzie - Da Gaulin Song
Dillion McKenzie - Dog Don’t Bark as Parked Car
Puzzle - Jobless