Thu | Mar 28, 2024

Kandi King breaks silence on Xaymaca International

Published:Wednesday | November 30, 2022 | 1:41 PM
Kandi King said she indicated to the board of Xaymaca International her intentions to exit the company due to irreconcilable differences in January 2022 and has had 'no involvement with the day-to-day or strategic management' since then.
Kandi King said she indicated to the board of Xaymaca International her intentions to exit the company due to irreconcilable differences in January 2022 and has had 'no involvement with the day-to-day or strategic management' since then.

Former Xaymaca International Director Kandi King has reassured masqueraders in a social media post that she is advocating for people who registered with the band for the 2020 carnival season.

“Let me first acknowledge that a response of any kind from Xaymaca International has been more than long overdue,” King stated.

She explained that part of her advocacy was for the settlement of accounts, but that she was unable to offer any further information on the band’s current position.

She said, “Unfortunately, I am not able to give any further comments, but please understand that things are happening in the background, and I will release a statement with full transparency when the time is right. This is an unfortunate turn of events, and I am advocating for the fair settlement of accounts for all masqueraders.”

In the social media post, King also shared that she indicated to the board her intentions to exit the company due to irreconcilable differences in January 2022.

“Since then, I have had no involvement with the day-to-day or strategic management of Xaymaca International as I have been negotiating my exit and possible options for the continuation of the band,” she said.

King continued: “It is my understanding that all decisions and day-to-day activities were being undertaken by Mr Andrew Bellamy (up until his resignation), followed by Mr Richard Spence (the current acting CEO).”

The local entrepreneur and popular carnival concierge has invested in developing the carnival culture in Jamaica. In her role as director at Xaymaca International, she says she has had to stick to protocol.

“My initial position was to follow protocol which unfortunately has left you, the masqueraders, in the dark for far too long, and I sincerely apologize for the frustration this has caused,” King emphasised.

Attempts to get in contact with the band’s acting CEO were successful.

The band and its associates have continued to deal with fallout from masqueraders who were told that no refunds would be made on deposits or payments made on costumes, with production being so far advanced, at the time when Carnival in Jamaica was postponed in 2020 when the coronavirus hit Jamaica. It was then moved to October, only to be rescheduled to April 2021.

It was stated that payments would have been deferred to the following staging of carnival. However, in March 2022, Xaymaca International announced that it would not be participating in the 2022 Carnival in Jamaica celebrations which were held in July, once again raising concerns among its masqueraders.

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