Reggae: Past, Present and Future

This letter was submitted to the Independent, a Southern Humboldt weekly, by several former Mateel board members and ran as an opinion piece last week. It offers a quite different perspective from the "No Confidence" side.

The photo shows Paul Bassis, Carol Bruno and Kathryn Lobato, then Mateel Executive Director, backstage at Reggae 2001.





The Mateel Community Center’s annual Reggae on the River Festival will be held the first weekend in August. After much uncertainty a new producer, Boots Hughston, has been hired. The Mateel holds a contract for the use of the site. Many key coordinators have expressed an active interest in continuing or expanding their roles. Many more will be attending the Mateel’s Reggae coordinators meeting to meet the new producer. Thank you all.

In the coming weeks the future of Reggae on the River and the future of the Mateel Community Center will be decided. It won’t be decided in secret mediations or privileged behind the scenes negotiations. It will be decided by the willingness of the volunteers, the coordinators, the non-profit organizations and the community as whole to support this year’s efforts to carry the festival into the future.

Many of you will be deciding whether or not to continue your participation in the event and what role you are willing to play. Reggae on the River is important to many people for many different reasons. We urge you to support the Mateel’s efforts for the sake of the community as a whole.

If you have concerns about the termination of the Mateel’s contract with People Productions:

It is unfortunate that People Productions and the Mateel were unable to bring the mediation process to a successful and timely conclusion. We appreciate that People Productions has recently expressed willingness to work with the Mateel. We regret that this softening has come after alternative plans have been laid.

However, the Mateel’s decision was not sudden or whimsical, but instead resulted from a long history of difficulties between the two organizations. It was not the Mateel’s choice to enter into new contract negotiations. The Mateel held a contract with People Productions that was negotiated just last year. The Mateel was willing to move forward with Reggae 2007 under the existing contract. People Productions refused to continue working under the terms of the 2005 contract.

We urge everyone to support the current efforts to produce Reggae on the River 2007. We understand that this process has generated justified hard feelings among many people on all sides of the debate. Please, if you can’t support the Mateel’s efforts, step aside gracefully and allow this transition to take place.

If you have concerns about the way Reggae on the River has been managed in the past:

Now is not the time to revisit past wrongs or to unearth past indiscretions. People Productions deserves credit for having built a small local event into a world class festival. People’s efforts to move forward with alternative events that do not compete with Reggae on the River or the Summer Arts Festival deserve our best wishes and support.

Now is the time to work with the new producer and site manager to put on a Reggae on the River 2007 that demonstrates the best character of this community: cooperation, community service and accountability.

If you are concerned about the way the Mateel is being managed:

The Mateel is a 501(c)3 non-profit with a voting membership. There is a well-defined process for influencing the Mateel’s goals, objectives and fiscal policies. Join the Mateel. Run for the board.

The capacity of the Mateel to serve the community as a whole has been compromised by the difficulties in its relationship with People Productions. The Mateel Community Center, coupled with a reasonable level of income from Reggae, offers our area’s best hope to create a community center that will have a significant impact on meeting community needs.

We hope that you will encourage the Mateel to use its resources responsibly to build a true community center that serves the needs of the entire community.

The potential for this year to mark the beginning of an era defined by cooperation, community service and accountability can be realized, both at Reggae on the River and at the Mateel. Our ability to realize this future does not depend on the Mateel board or the production company hired to produce Reggae. It depends on each of us -- as individuals, board members, experienced coordinators, staff and volunteers -- to step forward and make or maintain our commitments.

Now, more than ever, we urge each of you to step forward and support the current efforts of the Mateel board to carry Reggae on the River into the future.

Best regards,

Kathryn Lobato (Manspeaker) former Mateel Executive Director, Crow Gellman former Mateel Board President, John Rogers former Mateel Board President, Michael DeLeon former Mateel Board Vice-President.