Even as efforts continue to showcase the Caribbean, plans are moving apace to make Guyana’s participation at CARIFESTA XIII as broad-based as possible.
CARIFESTA XIII is slated for staging in Barbados during August 17-27, under the theme “Asserting Our Culture, Celebrating Ourselves”, and Guyana’s Education Ministry’s Department of Culture, Youth and Sport proposes to field a 60-strong contingent. Guyana has already registered to field a contingent to the event and to ensure the broad-based participation ideal is realised, Minister within the Education Ministry, Nicolette Henry will today chair a CARIFESTA planning meeting in the boardroom of the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport, Main Street.
At the meeting, members of the respective planning committees will be issued Terms of Reference on Guyana’s proposed plans.
Further, the gathering will feature participants’ presentations of their plans with specific reference to their area of expertise. Additionally, they are expected to share proposed plans for the commencement of national auditions and/or judging of works to shortlist what would be Guyana’s presentation for CARIFESTA XIII.
The first local meeting of minds was hosted on Friday, January 13, 2017, where more than 25 officials and creative minds were briefed by Minister Henry and Special Projects Officer Lennox Canterbury on the expectations and responsibilities at the local and regional levels.
At the last meeting, the group was tasked with charting a way forward to ensure Guyana’s active participation at the regional event in keeping with the overarching theme of presenting the country as a ‘Green State’ to the Caribbean and the world. That concept was articulated by Minister Henry to the creative minds present.
Initial reports indicate that Guyana will, more than likely, field a team of representatives to this major cultural, arts and entertainment event in more than 13 categories: craft, culinary arts, fashion, film festival, literary arts, performing arts, visual arts, symposia, animation, storytelling events, grand cultural market, trade fair, youth focus and community festival.
At the last meeting, the group was also apprised of the additional activities for artists outside of the Government-sponsored delegations.
These include the Caribbean Rum Festival, Trade Fair and Market for producers/suppliers of artistic products; and Body and Soul Line (herbs, healthy lifestyles, massages, foods and animation).
As part of the Guyana delegation’s proposal, several persons were tentatively pinpointed as steering committee heads who were tasked with working on a blueprint for each category of participation. They were informed by Minister Henry that their ideas must be guided by the overarching theme of Guyana leading the way for a ‘greener world’ beyond the colour “green”, towards the green agenda.
Already, Guyana has named one representative to actively compete in Barbados in the person of Junior Calypso Monarch 2017 T’shanna Cort, who signed a contract to compete for the Caribbean Youth Calypso Monarch against other regional contenders.
It is proposed that before Guyana’s contingent wings out to Barbados that their presentation should be showcased locally.
