Dr. Samuel Waymon withdraws from participation in CARIFESTA XV

TRYON, N.C. - Aug. 21, 2025 - PRLog -- It is with deep regret that the award-winning composer, singer and pianist Dr. Samuel L. Waymon has announced cancellation of plans to attend CARIFESTA XV – The Caribbean Festival of Arts.

Informed via voicemail on Tuesday (August 19) that the CARIFESTA Secretariat would be unable to provide hotel accommodations and ground transportation for Waymon and the documentary film crew accompanying him to Barbados, the veteran artist and his advisory team were left with no recourse but to withdraw.

Plans for a gala 'Bon Voyage' party honoring 'Dr. Sam' in his hometown (Tryon, North Carolina) on Sunday, August 24th have therefore been shelved.

As conceived, the journey to Barbados would have marked a personal homecoming for Dr. Waymon (81) that highlighted the shared survival experiences and historic connections linking the people of the Caribbean to African-Americans with ancestral connections to the Southern United States.

The sole surviving sibling of the late 'High Priestess of Soul', Nina Simone (born Eunice Waymon), Samuel Waymon was a member of his sister's band, her confidante and for many years her manager. During this period, Waymon and Miss Simone visited Barbados on numerous occasions.

Motion pictures representative of Samuel Waymon's significant body of work (as a composer, performer, arranger and actor) include:

• Ganja & Hess (1973)
• Just Crazy About Horses (1978)
• Personal Problems (1980)
• Weeds (1987)
• Philadelphia (1993)
• The Last Disintegrated School (2019)
• Sinners (2025)

His groundbreaking collaborations with the late playwright, novelist, actor and director Bill Gunn (1934 – 1989) represent the pinnacle of African-American creative art in the late 20th Century. In 1973, Ganja & Hess was celebrated as one of the Ten Best Films of the Decade, at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

Waymon's current projects include an album, 'Purpose'; a documentary film, A Walk Through The Life...; and a biographical feature film, Sam and Nina.  His song 'Freedom Is My Name' will be released via the popular streaming platforms in the fall.

CARIFESTA XV runs August 22 – 31 in Bridgetown, Barbados.

https://www.carifesta.net/