Guyana’s hosting of this year’s Carifesta is a “source of pride” for all Guyanese according to President Bharrat Jagdeo.
The Bahamas on the march! (Jules Gibson photo)
Speaking at last night’s Opening Ceremony held at the National Stadium at Providence, the President said that Guyana had risen to the challenge of hosting the mega event, after only having approximately a year to prepare.
In his brief address before officially declaring the 10-day event open, the President highlighted the significance of Carifesta to the region. He described the festival as something which transcends all political, racial, social, national and language boundaries.
He mentioned that one of the main aims of Carifesta was to reflect the region’s multiplicity of languages, and he identified the presence of non-English speaking territories at this year’s festival as evidence of this being achieved. Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela are among the non-English speaking territories participating in this year’s festival.
President Jagdeo said that he was unaware of anywhere else in the world where there was such a large coming together of people from so many different countries for a cultural festival. He also promised that this year’s event would “appeal to the imagination of all” including “Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Amerindians and children.” Special activities have been dedicated to these groups in this year’s schedule of events.
Earlier in the evening, the audience was addressed by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, Secretary General of Caricom Dr. Edwin Carrington and President of Suriname Runaldo Ventiaan.
Carrington described Carifesta as having an integral role in the building of community within the Caribbean.
He hailed the event as a “celebration of diversity and Caribbean identity” and encouraged those involved to enjoy “the richness and texture of the diverse Carifesta X programme”.
President Ventiaan, who is the Head of State responsible for culture in the Caribbean within the Caricom framework, underscored the importance of Carifesta as a source of regional integration. He mentioned that in the coming together of various cultural icons for an event such as this, much could be learnt. He re-emphasised some of the points made by Carrington, particularly as he highlighted Carifesta as one of the main means of “regional integration”.
Dr. Anthony, who is the Minister overseeing the organisation of Carifesta X, delivered the official welcome at last night’s proceedings.
He encouraged the visiting delegations to enjoy the festivities and promised that the affair would be a time for great celebration.
This is the second time Guyana will be hosting Carifesta, thirty-six years after the initial festival was held here in 1972.
The ten-day event will feature several activities including: country nights, super concerts, symposia, a fashion village, performing arts, religious-themed nights, super concerts, book launchings, a youth village, community festivals and master classes.
You got to be kidding, where is all the ”Blogger” got nothing to say ?
CARIFESTA…RECAPTURING A SENSE OF HISTORY
By Wil A. Pluck (Art & Social Critic)
It is both ineresting and refreshing for Guyanese who are residing in The Bahamas to see, by an ironic act of fate, the Bahamas delegation has been given special highlight in S.N. with a captioned photograph being featured on the official opening of Carifesta X in Guyana.
This certainly inspires memory of the embarrassment felt by all Guyanese nationals exactly one year ago when a prominent minister of immigration (now an opposition M.P) who fell from grace amid the Anna Nicole saga, known for his unapologitic xenophobia, in a child-like, temper tantrum, insulted Guyana in Bahamian parliament – the fury of which was captured on an evening news cast amid a hushed parliament. It was however clear to us Guyanese that his, was a position of ignorance even as to where was the origin of this unique festival which is synonymous which the late president Forbes Burnham of Guyana. whose name, seems to have eluded any acknowledged reference.
INSULTS AMID TEMPER TANTRUM
So in an article icaptioned ‘ Guyana…the Genesis of Cahrifesta’ I wrote in The Bahamas ‘Tribune’ news paper, I put the recored straight for younger Bahamians to note and to remind others who seemed to conveniently forgot and even chose not to rebuke or correct that minister with his insulting utterances. His expressed fury was as a result of the current Ingraham government declining the offer to host Carifesta X this year in The Bahamas. He repeatedly stressed that if Guyana could host “Carifest” why is it that The Bahamas can’t ! as he sought to draw attention to suggested negatives asssociated with the quality of national life in Guyana by repeatedly asking whether any one there had ever gone to see Guyana.
This sort of raging arrogant and cheap talk is not unique to that Bahamian member of parliament…for others across the region, with notable exceptions of Jamaica, Belize and Haiti have been equally guilty of being less than polite and welcoming to Guyanese, Jamaicans, Haitians and probably other nationals with full knowledge of the political dircetorate of the day.
ELUDING HISTORY
Now 36 years on after the birth of Carifesta, any proper and serious evaluation must embrace such and many other concerns that reach far beyond the petty or logistical short-comings and physical discomfort of this or other past Carifestas. It is interesting that this one has come amid crucial discussions and decisions on the E. P.A. One therefore looks forward to seeing greater cultural tolerance, unnecessary and unacceptable immigration hassles at certain airports that are oftern seen by many as a regional disgrace. Given the intended scope of this festival, whatever happens after Carifesta X, is a matter which only time and history will prove. But in light of all political and other social vicissitudes of Caribbean cultural life, how dare any self-respecting ‘Jonny-com-lately’ to distort the course of history and deny any reference to the name and enormous contribution of the founding father – the late President Forbes Burnham…especially now now that Carifesta has returned to the cradle of its seminal conception. It is somewhat disturbing that just 36 rears on his pioneering efforts in the formation of Carifesta, has eluded any prominent reference at the formal openingof this tenth festival.
It shouold not be difficult to conceive that among all the visitors and amid all of the cultural happenings, the restless ghost of President Burnham would be curiously lurking and ever yearning for its deserving pride-of-place.Those who now seek to deny this, are certainly eluding any rational sense of history and in light of the view point by this critic, after all, the hosting of Carifesta may hold a ‘Hollow Sense of Pride’