GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT JULY 20 - 26, 2008

UNCLAS GRENADA 000107 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIN SOCI GJ SUBJECT: GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT JULY 20 - 26, 2008 ¶1. (U) Embassy Grenada's weekly report (GWAR) provides a little detail about events of interest that do not merit longer reporting at this time. ¶2. (U) Begin GWAR text: SGL Holdings Ltd. In Trouble a. A Turks & Caicos-based currency trading financial company with an office in Grenada, SGL Holdings Ltd., appears to be in trouble. Customers have been unable to access monies they invested in the company; the minimum required was US$1,000. On July 21, the company issued a statement saying it is facing some challenges due to an investigation of its trader. Details remain murky about how the company operates and what exactly is being investigated. Grenada has been the launching pad for a number of pyramid-like schemes over the years. It is to be hoped that this is not the latest addition. b. Grenada to Field an Olympic Team of Nine Grenada's Olympic team of 12 athletes and trainers head to Beijing shortly. Eight of the nine athletes will compete in various track and field events. The ninth athlete is a boxer. British investor, Peter de Savery, donated US$10,000 to the Grenada Olympic Committee to make the trip for athletes and trainers possible. c. Carnival 2008 Heats Up! Preparations hampered somewhat by July 8 elections, Carnival 2008 finally shifted into full gear during the week of July 20. Soca, Soca Monarch, Groovy Soca, and Queen competitions are in full swing. Some big name participants did not show up for Ole Mas but the audience had a good time anyway. Despite the last minute scrambling, the Carnival committee is promising a great show August 11-12. d. Calypso Judges: Foreign Vs Local The perennial dispute over judges has resurfaced. As one of its first acts, the newly elected Government of Grenada banned foreign calypso judges (usually Grenadians who live abroad) from this year's Carnival. This led one of the two competing calypso associations to threaten to pull out of the competitions and in fact, a number of artists have stayed home. Charges of bias against local judges have been around a long time as the same artists would win year after year. The previous government had opened the competition to foreign judges in order to make the competition fairer. Local judges - and the artists who were no longer winning each year - complained that the foreign judges did not understand Grenadian nuances. Grenadian calypso judges in New York, Toronto, and London are crying foul. What is new this year is that there is now apparently a shortage of judges. While the committee running Carnival promises that no act will be judged twice by the same judge(s),unless they can increase the numbers, the likelihood is that that is exactly what will happen. End text. MCISAAC