Shaback defends place on Dubai trip

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

SHABACK, the gospel group led by Office of the Prime Minister Press Secretary Clint Watson, has said its participation at Expo 2020 was in the works long before the former talk show host assumed his role in government.

While thanking Bahamians for their support as it represented The Bahamas in Dubai, Shaback said discussions about the possibility of performing there began with the Ministry of Tourism in 2019.

However, the plans were sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic, the group said in a press statement yesterday.

The statement followed questions and criticism of the size of the delegation that travelled to the United Arab Emirates and the cost of the undertaking. Some have also questioned the criteria for selecting participating groups and solo acts at the world expo.

Some critics felt the National Youth Choir should have been selected for the event. Its director Dexter Fernander has said the choir was under the impression it would be selected and only found out through unofficial channels that it would not go on the trip.

He contended that maybe it did not meet the criteria to travel despite the choir having discussions regarding the event since 2019.

“Our participation in the expo was years in the making; in 2019, we entered discussions with the Ministry of Tourism regarding the possibilities of performing there,” according to Shaback’s statement. “The pandemic sidelined those plans, but in 2021 we learned that the expo was back on.

“When we renewed discussions with the ministry, we were told that due to budget cuts there was now only space for 11 people and there would be no compensation. We agreed to these conditions without hesitation. This is a special year for us - after 25 years of making music together, we are in what we believe will be our final year. We believed participating at the expo would be the perfect conclusion to a quarter of a century of music and ministry to our country and the world.”

Shaback went on to note its accomplishments over the years, including representing The Bahamas on three continents and addressed concerns about performing as a gospel group in a predominant Muslim country.

“It’s been an extraordinary 25 years: we’ve released four musical recordings, collaborated on numerous projects, worked with some of the world’s biggest names in music, and received numerous awards locally and internationally. We’ve been proud to represent The Bahamas on three continents, in seven countries, and in scores of cities around the world. Every year for seven straight years we have travelled during independence to visit cities and countries where we have consulates or embassies.

“For decades, we’ve enjoyed the support of consecutive governments; the Ingraham, Christie, Minnis, and now Davis administrations have all invested in our mission of celebrating and sharing, via gospel music, our Bahamian culture and heritage.

“Our leader, Clint Watson, has led our group and our travel long before becoming press secretary in the current administration, and our participation in this expo was in the works long before he assumed his new role.

“We’re so pleased to report that Shaback’s performance was well-received in Dubai.

“We know there were some questions about the propriety of a Christian gospel choir performing in a Muslim country – but the purpose of a world expo is to provide countries with an opportunity to showcase their unique cultures, not to mimic the culture of the host country. As a modern, diverse city, Dubai was proud to welcome religions and cultures from all over the world.”

Comments

tribanon says...

What a crying joke if there ever was one!

Davis is so clearly the one to blame for this Dubai bullshiit that occurred on his watch and with his blessing.

Posted 26 January 2022, 9:41 a.m. Suggest removal

moncurcool says...

> “When we renewed discussions with the
> ministry, we were told that due to
> budget cuts there was now only space
> for 11 people and there would be no
> compensation. We agreed to these
> conditions without hesitation. This is
> a special year for us - after 25 years
> of making music together, we are in
> what we believe will be our final
> year. We believed participating at the
> expo would be the perfect conclusion
> to a quarter of a century of music and
> ministry to our country and the
> world.”

>
> “We know there were some questions
> about the propriety of a Christian
> gospel choir performing in a Muslim
> country – but the purpose of a world
> expo is to provide countries with an
> opportunity to showcase their unique
> cultures, not to mimic the culture of
> the host country. As a modern, diverse
> city, Dubai was proud to welcome
> religions and cultures from all over
> the world.”

Forget the conflict of interest. Those two statements are a prime reason they should not go. If the purpose is to showcase the culture of the country, and as a group you are planning to call it quits, then you have no right going.

On the conflict of interest, fine if you were dealing with the government from 2019. But the moment your director became OPM press secretary, automatically he should have resigned as group leader or stop pursuing the group going, especially as the group in their final year.

Posted 26 January 2022, 11:49 a.m. Suggest removal

realfreethinker says...

More bullshit from the group. They should have not made a statement because it did not clear up anything. They never said who paid for the trip. O by the way gospel singing is not a part of our culture so it just more bullshit to justify their trip.

Posted 26 January 2022, 11:51 a.m. Suggest removal

xtreme2x says...

**not to mimic the culture of the host country**

WELL BYDAM...LOL WHAT THE MEN WERE DOING WEARING THEM LONG GOWN?
DO BAHAMIANS WEAR THEM HERE IN BAHAMAS?
ARE YOU WEARING THEM NOW?

Posted 26 January 2022, 1:39 p.m. Suggest removal

bahamianson says...

We have an official group to represent our culture and it is not Clint's Shaback. He should not have officially represented us.

Posted 26 January 2022, 2:07 p.m. Suggest removal

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