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It may be one month away but already plans are well underway to get a line up of Belizean contestants to compete for the national title of queen or king of brukdong. The annual musical competition and bram is part of the Christmas celebration Creole style. The whole idea is to have the public at large embrace the Kriol culture through traditional songs by the use of such instruments like the grater, pint bottles even broom sticks and yes that famous mouth organ.

According to Clive Myers, the programme officer at the Institute of Creative Arts at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts, the competition is open to all ages from the general public and all Kriol bands. There will be a junior and senior category and he says already three junior bands have applied to compete and a number of senior applicants awaiting confirmation form the Belize Kriol Council.

Clive Myers, Programme Organizer - Brukdong Competition
“It is to revive the music since it appears that it has been lost over the couple of years and it is also part of the Christmas festivities that the National Institute of Culture and History in collaboration with the National Kriol Council will be doing this year.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“Why do you believe this type of music is dying in Belize?”

Clive Myers,
“Because it is a part of the Kriol culture and lately we haven’t been seeing our youths, our young generations involved with the music, only people like Ms. Leela Vernon, Brother David, Mr. Peters have that genre of music still alive in Belize. So we are trying to invite the young generation along with even the older folks to join in this year’s competition to enhance the genre of music.

This year the competition is open to all ages. We have two cash prizes, one for youth and one for senior band. And the one for youth is primarily because we are inviting young applicants to be a part of this year’s competition.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“It’s all part of the upcoming Christmas celebration. When does it start?”

Clive Myers,
“The Brukdong competition starts December 12th at the House of Culture. It starts from 12 noon with a fair, a Creole expo, where businesses, people can go and buy Kriol cuisine such as fire hearth rice and beans and you name it, it will be there; pastries such as stretch me guts, all of those kinds of Kriol food along with drinks, rum popo and everything. And then later in the evening starting at 6 will be the Brukdong competition itself and bram where at the entrance our attendees will be given some small miniature instruments so that they can participate in the bram also.”

The Brukdong Bram gets underway from six on the evening of December twelfth at the House of Culture. Entrance is free. Then later on when the Brukdong competition starts there will be a fee of only five dollars to attend. If you are interested in competing in the Brukdong competition you can pick up application forms at the Institute of Creative Arts. The national brukdong bram and competition including a Kriol food and craft expo will be held in collaboration with the National Kriol Council.