KFC Goodwill International Football tournament: Cultural exchange among teams a success
Chase’s Academic Foundation treated spectators to a dance in Guyanese colours
The Umana Yana in Kingston, Georgetown was flooded with smiles and cultural flare on Monday evening as the Petra Organisation added a new event to the schedule of proceedings for the fifth annual KFC International Goodwill Football tournament.
The eight teams participating in the tournament flocked the ‘culturally appropriate’ venue for the hosting of a cultural exchange in which each of the participating sides had the opportunity to showcase something from their respective cultures.
As Jamaica’s Clarendon College grooved to the beats of their dancehall tunes, Trinidad’s St. Benedict’s College played their winning Soca Monarch 2024 song on their native steelpan and Tobago’s Speyside High took those gathered on a journey of the school’s prowess through their Speech Band technique. Guyana’s representatives had a range of talents displayed through dance, song and poetry.
Detailing why the Petra Organisation moved to include this event in this year’s schedule, tournament administrator Troy Peters hailed the Umana Yana as the best place for such an activity.
Clarendon College brought out the moves to their dancehall tunes
“Today we will experience a new feature of the Goodwill Series, where some of these talented football players have taken off their uniforms and will display another side of their skills (and) culture,” he said.
“We’re in a very significant location: this is our Umana Yana, and outside we have the Liberation Monument, so this is a very important place; and what a place to actually display your culture,” Peters shared.
Reflecting on his time as an athlete, Nicholas Fraser, Head of the Allied Arts Department of the Ministry of Education, explained to the students how Monday night’s event could be beneficial to them.
St. Benedict’s College of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago utilised their national instrument, the Steel Pan
In recollecting, Fraser said, “This brings me back a bit to my time as an athlete as well. I travelled quite a bit to Suriname. During the 1990s, we would have exchange programmes, particularly with the swim teams, and I remember having to do this sort of activity as well. So, a part of me didn’t like it, but at the end I found it quite interesting.
“It’s very interesting to learn about other cultures.
Part of being an athlete is about being an ambassador, so it’s very good to learn a bit about other cultures; and when you get back, it makes you broaden your horizons,” he declared.
On behalf of the Education Ministry, Fraser expressed, “We would like to continue to support such initiatives. We work hand-and-glove with the Petra Organisation. We would also love to see this sort of activity done with other sports within the school system.”
The on-field action in the tournament continued on Tuesday. A detailed report on the results of those games would be published in Thursday’s edition of Guyana Times Sport.
