The Burning of King Momo marked the end of Statia Carnival 2018.
From left: President of the Statia Carnival Committee Teena Lopes, with co-leaders of the winning Caribbean Tribes troupe Sharday Bennett and Julissa Woodley.
ST. EUSTATIUS--The 54th Statia Carnival came to a close Monday with the burning of King Momo. The Last Lap Jump-Up was cancelled due to the decision of Government Commissioner Marcolino “Mike” Franco and the Chief of Police to cancel the Last Lap after Sunday evening’s fights at the Carnival Village. The decision was made due to safety concerns that areas along the route were without sufficient lighting.
The festivities were moved to Carnival Village (Mike van Putten Youth Centre), where DJ Pleasure entertained the small crowd of revellers and the newly launched Titus youth band played until the burning of King Momo took place.
The leaders of the winning troupes during the Grand Parade were presented with their prizes. Parade winners Caribbean Tribes won US $2,000 in prize money; Caribbean Opals gained $800 and Multi-mix received $400.
Despite the cancellation of the jump-up, no police officers or security personnel were visibly present at the Carnival City.
Carnival 2018 closed off during an incident-free night. Booth holders and many in the community were upset over the cancellation of the Last Lap jump-up.
The crowd at the Carnival Village was much smaller than in previous years and many believed this was due to the lack of a jump-up as over the past 53 years a large crowd always came out to show their support.
One Calypsonian said he had tried to organise a small and peaceful jump-up/walk to the Carnival Village, but said the Police had strongly advised him to cancel the event. He had done so as he did not want any problems, he stated.
Quite a few persons were upset about the statement that the jump-up’s route was considered unsafe due to insufficient lighting, as many people walk and drive along these same dark roads on a daily basis. Many felt it was a poor excuse to punish an entire island over the actions of a few persons who were under the influence of alcoholic beverages.
