Spirit of Carifesta

It has been 47 years since the Caribbean Festival of the Arts (Carifesta) was first hosted in Guyana. It was the late L.F.S Burnham who spearheaded the formation of Carifesta, which was created to foster Caribbean unity and to showcase the talents, skills and visions of creatives,

Regardless of personal feelings about Burnham and his assumed or proven transgressions, Carifesta is just one example that proves not only that he was a visionary, but that he appreciated arts and culture. Perhaps if the leaders who came after him were as passionate about that which manifests the essence and character of any society, the arts in Guyana would be more highly regarded and therefore the environment would be more enabling to aid in the development and success of the arts.

Since Carifesta 1972, other Caribbean territories have hosted the festival and this year the 14th festival was held in Trinidad and Tobago, which has hosted it four times.

Since 1972, Guyana has only hosted Carifesta once, in 2008. That was my first experience with Carifesta. I participated as a model in several fashion shows. I had no inclination then about the impact the festival could have on my life as a creative.

It was in 2015 at Carifesta in Haiti that I had a life changing experience, mainly because of the rich African-Haitian culture I was exposed to. My Guyana Prize Winning play, “Sauda,” was staged as a part of the offerings of the Guyana contingent. However, it was my exposure to Haitian theatre that was transformative. It was nothing short of a spiritual experience, surpassing anything theatrical I had ever experienced before. I became obsessed with re-experiencing what Haiti gifted me; it became a mission to influence Guyana’s theatre in the same powerful way. I missed Carifesta in Barbados in 2017, but this year I was fortunate to be a part of the Guyana contingent in Trinidad and Tobago as a part of the Film and Animation delegation.

Part of my mission of coming to Carifesta 2019 was to of course re-experience the same essence of Haiti; to once again discover the spirit of Carifesta, the spirit of integration, the spirit of inspiration, the spirit of creativity that fuels ideas and results in growth and transformation.

The opening parade in the streets of Port-of-Spain, where I was surrounded by other creatives, innovators and visionaries, was exciting. The opening ceremony was impressive. It was a story of how we became as a Caribbean people through dance, drama, music and technology. It captivated us and again opened our minds as to the possibilities of what can be accomplished on stage. I felt the spirit of Carifesta.

On Saturday night it was an honour to watch the play ‘Moon on a Rainbow Shawl’ at the National Academy for Performing Arts. Although it was written in the 1950s, it was once again proven to be timeless; a playwright’s dream. Though I had studied and had seen it staged before, the production felt new. As I sat and watched the actors brilliantly and effortlessly embody the characters, the spirit of Carifesta came alive in me.

After the play a group of Guyanese artists gathered on the outside; all moved by the Carifesta spirit of inspiration that came through the play, but at the same time battling the spirit of despair. We were inspired because again we were reminded of the power we possess; had witnessed another offering of what happens when the arts and culture are prioritised in any country. But the void we often feel as artists, the frustrations that tempts us to abandon what we love and blend in with the rest of society by not living our truths, the reality that we once were further along that we are now, we grappled with. Like the Trinidadians and others, we too are talented, our ideas are immeasurable, and we are innovative. There are many young Guyanese yearning to entirely engross themselves in the arts, but even with the passion and hunger to transform there are many hindrances.

Guyana’s country night was on Sunday. There was a great concept of telling a Guyana story through our holidays. The presentation was not without its faults. Nevertheless, a touch of the spirit about who we are as Guyanese was showcased.

At the Trinidad Film Festival, which was held this year at the same time as Carifesta, Guyana’s animation piece was shown. However, when enquiries were made about the film that was also due to be screened, organisers claimed they had not received it. The spirit of hope and Caribbean unity began developing into a spirt of disappointment. We questioned whether it was deliberate or a genuine mistake. That spirit of hope and inspiration that I had garnered was grappling with a spirit of frustration and disappointment.

The days that followed various experiences, most of which I ignored, threatened to destroy every positive experience I had at Carifesta XIV. From being turned away from seeing a certain film to looks when the Guyanese accent was heard, to poor jokes about us Guyanese, where was that Carifesta spirit of acceptance and unity? But my choice had to be deliberate to set those experiences aside and focus on the positives which outnumbered those. Courteous Trinidadians, homemade ice-cream every day at the grand market, tasty foods from the different Caribbean territories, music, pan, fashion, dance, drama, great films and the variety in display, I was happy.

Though my experience was not as powerful as in Haiti, I was reminded that everything we experience in life is set at a particular time to often satisfy a particular need or to set us on a path to our destiny. My great transformative moment had already happened in Haiti and nothing would change that. It was set in motion already to tap into the greatness that exists in every creative to not only transform ourselves, but the world.

I found the spirit of Carifesta in the hopes, dreams and actions in my personal life to be the change I want to see in Guyana. I found it in the visions of works in progress being completed and standing the test of time as a play such as ‘Moon on a Rainbow Shawl’.