Ivena is out of the semis without an agreement with the Commission

If calypsonian Lena “Ivena” Phillip does not change her lyrics, or her mind and sign an indemnity agreement with the Festivals Commission by the end of today, she will be barred from performing in the calypso semi-finals tonight.
This is the latest development in the saga between her and Prime Minister Gaston Browne who is suing her as she insists on continuing to sing the alleged defamatory lyrics of her Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) leadership-bashing song Nastiness.
Phillip, who is set to perform the song last in the line-up of 20 artists in round two of the competition, was issued a letter by the Festivals Commission yesterday afternoon, asking her to change the alleged offending lyrics and/or sign the indemnity agreement so that in the event the festivals commission is sued by the Prime Minister, and it loses the lawsuit, the singer would pay all its costs, including damages.
The singer’s manager and writer, Kublai Mannix, confirmed receiving the letter at 3 pm yesterday and he also told OBSERVER media there’s no plan to change the lyrics, thus the singer would not be performing at the event which has two rounds.
She has another song to perform in round two and she’s listed as the second artiste to take the stage out of the same group of 20.
The Festivals Commission wrote the letter to the singer on Thursday and delivered it to her on Friday, informing her of its decision. The commission made the move after the prime minister allegedly issued a threat of legal action against the body and he also allegedly informed the commission that the artiste had been served with a notice of a defamation lawsuit, along with a claim for unspecified damages.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)