Amidst a few glitches in plans and fears among some that the country is not adequately prepared to host the Carifesta X celebrations, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony says that Guyana will be ready to host the August 22-31 event.
In an interview with Stabroek News yesterday, Dr. Anthony said that although all the plans have not run as smoothly as the organisers would have liked, every effort is being made to put the finishing touches to the preparations. He said there are hard working staff and volunteers who are working diligently towards ensuring that everything is in place in time for the event. He emphasised that planning an event of the magnitude of Carifesta is challenging and explained that the organisers were set back by the late communication by several of the overseas delegations.
He also said that he was well aware of the concerns of many Guyanese and even those of nationals from other countries. He admitted that many of these concerns are legitimate but told this newspaper that the Government and the Carifesta Secretariat are working hard at addressing them.
The Minister said that one concern which the organisers have been seriously addressing is that of security. According to him, the Minister of Home Affairs has played an important role in mapping out a security plan that would be both efficient and effective. He said that during the festival, the public can expect the strong presence of security forces both in Georgetown and in other areas-especially in and around the venues hosting the various Carifesta activities. He added that special arrangements are being made to ensure the safety of the visiting delegations.
Another legitimate concern, the Minister acknowledged was the cleanliness of the city. He said that the Ministry of Public Works and the City Council have been trying their best to address this. According to him, over the next week more concentrated efforts will be made to improve the appearance of the city and other areas in the country. He mentioned that the general public had an important role to play in this activity and called on members of the various communities to help in the cleaning of their surroundings. Some critics have said that the city has a drab appearance and the government has to do more to decorate it.
Dr Anthony said that there are other concerns, citing the current situation with the airport runway lights as another example, but he said that he knew special efforts were being made to rectify this issue urgently.
In terms of the logistics for the festival, he said that all the venues are already in shape or near completion. As it relates to the plans for the opening ceremony, he said that the public can expect an exciting programme featuring over 3,300 performers. Although only about 6000 tickets will be available for the opening ceremony, the minister said that the event will be televised live both locally and in the rest of the Caribbean. He also said that there is a possibility that the event will be shown live on big screens outside of the grounds, as well as on big screens in other regions of Guyana.
He said that specific security and traffic control arrangements for the opening ceremony have already been outlined and they will be implemented. He also indicated that the lot between the stadium and the Buddy’s International Hotel will be made available for parking during the course of the Carifesta festivities.
Tickets for the opening ceremony and the other events are expected to be released shortly. According to Dr. Anthony, the Secretariat has worked out a special distribution plan for tickets, and said that tickets will be made available to people from the various regions in Guyana. All tickets except for those for the super concerts sponsored by the corporate companies are free. The Minister mentioned that these tickets, which were printed overseas, have special security features which will be difficult to reproduce.
Dr. Anthony told this newspaper that the overseas response has been good and said that even at this late stage, some countries are still communicating an interest in participating in the event. He expects over 1,500 people will be coming as part of delegations and this number includes people from the Guyanese Diaspora. In addition, to these official delegates, many more visitors are expected the minister added.
He noted that the departure tax for members of the delegations has been waived. He explained that this was a gesture of kindness, since the expenses for airfare, accommodation, and food will be undertaken either by the respective governments or the individuals themselves.
One of the highlights will be a special laser show which will be put on by the Austrian delegation. This is scheduled to be done nightly in the vicinity of St. George’s Cathedral. According to Dr. Anthony, the lights will be of different colours and intensity and will be used to convey messages as well as to beautify the cathedral. He says that after Carifesta the equipment will be left in the care of the Ministry of the Culture, Youth and Sport.
