When the seeds of Carifesta were first sowed several years before its grand inauguration in George-town in 1972, the objective was really to provide an expansive, unlimiting space within which artists of excellence from all parts and representing a multitude of art forms could exhibit their work, dialogue with each other and distil more and more of what `Caribbean-ness’ is.
This must have been part of Prime Minister Burnham’s vision when he declared the festival open in 1972 and in many ways it has been consolidated by Carifesta X, making a much too belated reappearance 36 years later.
Carifesta X has worked wondrously at various levels even if the inevitable questions have to be asked of our organizational abilities. Who can deny the marvelous array of artistes and their offerings? From the innovative and sonorously beautiful G-pan developed by the Trinis, to the rib-tickling antics of Oliver Samuels’ `River Bottom’ to the expressive masqueraders from St Kitts and elsewhere to the gallery of thought-provoking art and sculptures by some of Guyana’s best to the spare but vital Rapso, to the book launchings and reprints of long forgotten works to the utilitarian artistry of the host’s and the region’s indigenous communities.
The list is endless. So too are the varied planes of interactions. Straddling Jamaica to the north and Suriname to the east, the Caribbean Community has come together and been enhanced by the exhilarating additions from our neighbours to the west and the south – Brazil’s sky writing exploits won’t be quickly forgotten – and from as far as Indonesia and Austria.
Within the symposia, there have been essential exchanges and the outpourings of disaffection and impatience with stagnation and sterility and even if as demonstrated in the exchange between President Jagdeo and Mr Walcott there is a tendency for the debate to revert to its earliest origins, it at least refocuses attention. There no doubt have been many well-meaning suggestions about rejigging Carifesta since 1972 and therefore what Henry Muttoo had to say about its possible shaking up would neither be entirely new or a revelation. But at least Mr Muttoo was able to restart the discussion with sensible proposals which have much merit and could lead to the restart of country-specific galas such as Guyfesta where the very best of each country is presented at a grand exposition. In this way much of the mediocrity and the banal – and there was a fair amount of that here too – which have no reason to distract would not.
So, taken all together Carifesta X has lived up to its aspiration of being a supple palette for the broadest spectrum of expression and the melding and demystification of the arts. The government and President Jagdeo should be congratulated for bringing it back home and helping to enrich the cultural life of the region. If we are serious about using it as a springboard for entrenching the ideals of the festival and elevating it to a higher level of engagement within the community of artistes there is much that can be achieved by analyzing the organization, outcomes and talents of Carifesta X.
But it wasn’t all good. When Guyana set about filling in for The Bahamas at short notice it needed to up its game and bring its best to the fore. Whether it was money or copyright that kept Eddy Grant out of the fest, there was no reason why the crème de la crème in the diaspora and others here shouldn’t have been engaged. There have been several complaints from established artists in the diaspora about the poor handling of expressions of interest in participating but perhaps the most searing was the simple declaration from his hospital bed by top funny man Habeeb Khan about being completely left out. Why wasn’t he in the thick of things in the Guyana presentation and given pride of place? No doubt there are many others like him.
Carifesta X did not attract the critical mass of Caribbean interest that was needed to invigorate its promise and to appreciate its talents. There were some visitors but not the thousands that should have been here even just as tourists. As a result, the spectating was left mostly to Guyanese and their tastes with the result that some worthy presentations were under attended while others were oversubscribed and this created some embarrassment. Guyanese in the main, starved for wholesome entertainment, nevertheless turned out in massive numbers and have profited from the surfeit of cultural food on display.
Carifesta must however distinguish between the arts and just plain entertainment. While wildly popular, the super concerts were intended for feel-good bacchanal as opposed to being an enabling platform for the region’s talent. What again is Akon’s degree of connection with this grand festival and its ideals?
Some of the arrangements were just bad. The flashes of brilliance at the opening ceremony were too often dimmed by a stuttering, over-long programme bedevilled by a dreadful sound system and the absence of big screens projecting what was happening in the distance. (There is a good reason why cricket fans take binoculars to the grounds). More exasperating was the cancellation of events on a daily basis without even the courtesy of an explanation. The copyright seminar was a case in point. Many artistes want to know about the protection of their work and what regional governments and Caricom are doing about this. No presenters turned up even though members of some of the overseas contingents were present. They were sent a message by the organizers to have a discussion among themselves. The postponement of a play in Linden and the manner in which it was communicated was unforgivable. Too many of these lapses occurred to simply pass them off as the products of challenging logistics. They betrayed poor planning and thinking as exemplified in the ticket distribution. This quality of organization, as was also on show during the world cup, damages our credibility.
In these very difficult economic circumstances, unstable crime situation and political gridlock, the average Guyanese observer may well question President Jagdeo’s motives for bringing Carifesta back as there was no publicly known hankering by him for its return in the nine years of his presidency. The expenditure of $500M plus in a hard guava economy where Guyanese have been weighed down by VAT will raise many eyebrows. The taking of an enormous security risk in an environment beset by crime will also pose judgement questions. That Guyana’s most wanted was killed with another fugitive during the festival after being spotted near to an army depot was a lucky break. It could have ended up disastrously.
While it did not proceed with a threat to make Carifesta unmanageable, the main opposition party is still deeply disgruntled with the government over its human rights, crime and economic record. So too are the other opposition parties and important sections of civil society.
Whatever President Jagdeo’s motives were Carifesta X has created goodwill, there is an afterglow of contentment. Can he transform this Carifesta X dividend into something that not only takes the festival to greater heights but moves the entire country along with it?
