By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

VISAGE bandleader Obie Pindling yesterday criticised recording artist Kirkland “KB” Bodie calling his recent public criticism of Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival “misleading, incorrect and inflammatory.”

In a more than 2,000 word statement, Mr Pindling said while he respects Mr Bodie as an artist and considers him a long time friend and colleague, “it is critically important for persons to hear another side and have as much information as they can get, to help in making informed decisions.”

Mr Pindling said on a newscast on April 2, excerpts of comments Mr Bodie made on a talk show were broadcast “wherein he again registered his opposition to the involvement of foreign artists in the upcoming Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival.”

Mr Pindling said the singer made a number of comments “about Trinidad, it’s carnival, it’s music industry and about Machel Montano, which were either incorrect or misleading”.

Mr Montano, a Trinidadian Soca singer, has been selected to headline carnival.

“In response to one of the show’s hosts pointing out that Montano’s addition to the carnival was to add some ‘diversity’, KB stated: ‘That’s our problem in (this) country; we have too much diversity. This country needs to be Bahamian. Let’s stop talkin’ stupidness ‘bout diversity’.”

“With the utmost respect to my friend, I find these comments most unfortunate and potentially harmful to our music industry,” Mr Pindling said.

He added that if the Bahamas’ music industry is to expand, local songs need airplay on Caribbean stations.

“This means that we are asking for and hoping that these very same stations add Bahamian music to the regional diversity of the music they play,” Mr Pindling, the son of the country’s first prime minister, the late Sir Lynden Pindling, said.

“We live in a world now where social media and the Internet make news ‘instant’. KB’s comments on diversity can very easily be regarded as highly xenophobic, toxic and inflammatory – not only by Bahamians but also by numerous persons abroad, including our Caribbean brothers and sisters.

“This is not good.”

Mr Pindling suggested that programme directors at regional radio stations might say Bahamians “are not interested in Caribbean diversity, so why should we include their music in our playlists?”

He said a move like this would hurt Mr Bodie and other Bahamian recording artists looking for success outside this country.

Mr Pindling said it is also untrue that Bahamians were never invited to Trinidad’s carnival, an argument put forth by Mr Bodie. In fact, he said Visage has not only performed but was also welcomed with “open arms” by the artists there.

“Every year, they (Trinidad) invite artists from all over the Caribbean to submit their songs as part of the International Soca Monarch competition. It is an undeniable fact that Trinidad welcomes regional artists with open arms and so do all the other islands,” he said.

Mr Pindling said he believes by boycotting carnival, Mr Bodie is “denying himself the possibility of impressing one of these (Soca) mega stars that may be interested in doing a studio collaboration with him.”

On April 2, Mr Bodie said he would not support carnival if foreign acts were included. His statement came after it was revealed that Mr Montano would close out the Junkanoo Carnival concert and that other international artists were on tap to perform as well. Before that, the singer had recently voiced his newfound support for the festival, which he has criticised over the past few months.

“Now I find out that it’s more Trinidadian and it’s less Bahamianised. . . How do you think I feel?

“We have a situation where a Grammy award winning group (Baha Men) has to open up for a non-Grammy award winning group? No man, we have to be the stupidest people in the world,” Mr Bodie said.

Carnival is set for May 7-9.