CARIFESTA VIII a mixed experience for Belize
As an institution the cultural gathering known as CARIFESTA must deal with many of the same midlife crises as its sponsoring organisation, CARICOM. But as they say, the show must go on. Today our delegation returned from the event and News 5’s Patrick Jones was at the airport to meet it.
Patrick Jones, Reporting
The togetherness of the region’s artists and performers was on display for the five days of CARIFESTA Eight in Paramaribo, Suriname. Over twenty-five countries including such extra regional powers as Indonesia, India and the Netherlands took part in the event, which showcased music, dancing, poetry, and arts and craft. While Belize did not field a very large delegation, Director of the Institute of Creative Arts, Andy Palacio, says Belize did well at CARIFESTA Eight.
Andy Palacio, Director, Institute of Creative Arts
“I think we were very successful this time around in CARIFESTA Eight, even though our success could have gone to a higher level had we included a bigger performing arts contingent in the Belize delegation. The arts and craft section for example did very well. We generated a lot of interest in Belizean craft-work and we had thousands of people stopping by the Belize booth just asking for information about the country and the people who were handling our country booth did a fantastic job of introducing Belize to the wider Caribbean.”
“Grandmaster went along as a performer and wherever he went to do his poetry performances he was really well received. In particular, the performances in the countryside were really, really noteworthy in that this was something kind of new to them. And the issues that he was talking about in his poetry were things that they could relate to directly.”
But one thing the Belizeans could not relate to was a sudden shift in the programme.
Froyla Salam, Representative, Indigenous Peoples
“I was meant to do a presentation along with Valentino Shal at the indigenous peoples symposium. But Thursday came and we discovered that it had been cancelled for reasons unknown to myself or to the program organiser. And I expressed my disappointment, because CARIFESTA was meant to have been an exchange of ideas between the indigenous peoples in the Caribbean and we didn’t have the opportunity. So I expressed my disappointment and luckily on Saturday, for the closing ceremonies, I was asked if I wouldn’t mind doing a short speech on behalf of the indigenous people.”
That opportunity afforded Salam the platform from which to urge her Caribbean counterparts to reform their ways.
Froyla Salam
“I formally invited the Commonwealth Secretariat to try to foster such an environment for the next CARIFESTA when that happens. Because if one of the main ideas was for CARIFESTA was to focus on indigenous people and that didn’t happen in the way it should have happened, then I think something needs to be done about it.”
What also needs to be done, according to the head of our delegation, is a thorough re-examination of where CARIFESTA is headed.
Andy Palacio
“Well yes, preparations need to begin starting first with reconsidering what direction CARIFESTA should take in the future. Many concerns have been raised regarding the direction of CARIFESTA in the past. To a certain extent CARIFESTA has been treated like an orphan child of the Caribbean, wondering who is going to take CARIFESTA this time around and no body wants it, until somebody decides well ok we will settle and take it for this time around but next time we wouldn’t want to do that. So the discussion will be ongoing between my colleagues at the R.C.C. and at other organs of CARICOM to basically map out the direction for CARICOM in the future. It has been customary that at the end of a CARIFESTA, the next host would be announced, but that didn’t happen this year because we have to set clear guidelines as to how we want to see CARIFESTA evolve in the future.”
Patrick Jones, for News 5.
In addition to Palacio and Salam, the delegation included Howard Melendrez, Erlet Gordon, Valentino Shal, Emelda Usher, Francisco Cano, Samuel Wagner, Ivan Duran and Leroy “Grandmaster” Young.
