We did it! We made it to the end of 2021! That’s right, we are the survivors of a global pandemic, the Trump presidency, and the unnecessary return of “Sex in the City.”

I would usually end my year with a “best of” list, but I’m not sure that best would be the right descriptor. Hmmm, how about we focus on the least crappy moments of 2021?

5. Biden and Kamala took office. Okay, you may not have rejoiced at this outcome or even wanted them to represent the Democratic Party, but it was absolutely a victory to see that last dude ousted. And Kamala is the first Black/Asian/Yardie/Woman to be VP so… that’s not nothing. Upon taking office, Old Joe immediately laid out his top priorities.

“President Biden will deliver bold action and immediate relief for American families as the country grapples with converging crises. This will include actions to control the COVID-19 pandemic, provide economic relief, tackle climate change, and advance racial equity and civil rights, as well as immediate actions to reform our immigration system and restore America’s standing in the world.” (WhiteHouse.gov)

Now, no matter how you feel about the work they’ve done (or failed to do) this year and if you don’t look too closely at the Afghanistan thing, they haven’t totally screwed the country or encouraged naziism. I’m calling that a win.

4. Miami Carnival returned. With so many cancellations and postponements and the new world order, masqueraders were concerned that the annual festival might not happen. Luckily, there was still some sort of a Carnival in Miami.

Despite the COVID pandemic, approximately 20,000 people flew to Florida for the annual Carnival parade, j’ouvert, and parties. Florida is still one of the most active cities due to its very lax mandates and social distancing ordinances, but new social-distancing rules and fines up to $5,000 took their toll on the parties and events with quite a few cancellations.

The j’ouvert and parade, however, went off as planned. Under the banner “No Mask. No Mas” organizers tried to ensure that anyone entering the Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds was tested and wearing wristbands. An event of this magnitude would of course have some people being able to enter without following protocol, but there was a serious attempt made to have a safe mas.

“Joan Hinkson-Justin, chairwoman of the Miami Carnival host committee, said the main precautionary measure was requiring everyone, including media, staff and volunteers, show proof of a negative PCR test dated October 6th or later in order to gain entry… due to a recently enforced state law prohibiting so-called “vaccine passports,” the host committee could not impose proof of vaccination as a requirement for entry, she explained.” (Rolling Stone)

Although I did not attend this year, I was told that folks for the most part followed the rules and enjoyed the mas!

3. KES the Band toured. Whether you saw them in Brooklyn, Long Island, Boston, Atlanta, or Miami, Kes made sure their fans got to see them inna real life.

The band has stayed top of mind with virtual concerts like “We Home” and the virtual WIADCA Brass Fest in 2020, which allowed fans to hear new music, but nothing beats seeing them live.

Okay, the actual logistics of the Coney Island show were atrocious (check out my Drunk Rant with SocaSaySo), but it showed the scale of Kes fandemonium that people were willing to scale walls to see the band of brothers. And the band did not disappoint! Not only did they perform their biggest hits, they brought a cast of guest artistes that included Voice, Alison Hinds, Farmer Nappy, and the woman cranking out song after song this year, Nadia Batson. The band was devastated to hear about the issues at their Coney Island show and apologized for the confusion, but in a heartfelt FB post they expressed gratitude for being able to once again perform live. “Thank you for always bringing us back to our purpose.”

2. DysChick’s first Clubhouse Chat. My first clubhouse chat made the news! On January 13th, I invited a group of professional marketers to co-host my “Caribbean Music Marketing: Real Solutions” discussion on Clubhouse. The panel included:

DJ Jel: one of the top Soca deejays and 1/2 of DiSocaAnalysts and also an expert in Social Media Marketing.

Mikelah: Founder of Style & Vibes website and podcast and an expert in Influencer Marketing.

Melly Rose: a multi-genre artiste from Trinidad with a background in Business.

Me (👋🏾): Founder of DysChick blog and DysChick Consulting with over 15 years of Copywriting and Retention Marketing experience.

We provided Caribbean artistes actionable advice on how to use social media, podcasts, Influencers, and marketing copy to take their music career to the next level. The chat went so well that the NY Daily News picked up the recap (yay!). Read the full article with key takeaways on DysChick.com.

1. Barbados became a Republic. They did it! They kicked out Queen Elizabeth. Prime Minister Mia Mottley described the move to a republic as a "seminal moment" which will see Barbados fully leave its colonial past behind.

Having achieved independence from Britain in 1966, the government had long planned to remove the last tie to the Queen and install a Barbadian head of state in an effort to achieve full sovereignty. On November 30th, a celebration was held to do just that. The ceremony commemorated Barbados leaving the reign of the British monarchy after 396 years and installing a new Bajan head of state.

Dame Sandra Mason, the island's governor-general since 2018, was named president-elect and the new head of state. At the ceremony, pop singer Rihanna, who was named ambassador to Barbados in 2018, was declared the country’s National Hero. To signify the official change of power, a final salute was made to the British monarchy and the Royal Standard flag was lowered and replaced.

Yaaas, Barbados! Hopefully others in the Commonwealth will take note.

2021 was not the year we had hoped it would be. We did not return to traveling like before and having epic Carnivals, but we managed to get some things done. As we approach 2022, let’s hope that we can get back to doing the things we love and jumping up together-gether like we used to. Although there will not be a full Carnival in Trinidad, maybe some other Carnivals will return and we can once again play ah mas!

Until then, have a safe and happy New Year! I’ll see you in 2022!