Colour and vibrance as Carifesta 2017 officially opens

The Caribbean Festival of Arts 2017 was officially opened on Sunday, two days after the planned ceremony was disturbed by Tropical Storm Harvey.

Stephen Lashley, minister of culture in Barbados, declared Carifesta XIII a “turning point” in deepening the region’s cultural ties.

“We chose from the outset to place the development of our cultural industries at the core of the festival,” he said at the ceremony at Kensington Oval in Bridgetwon.

He also announced soca star Allison Hinds and veteran calypsonian Stedson Wiltshire – also known as Red Plastic Bag – had been appointed new cultural ambassadors for Barbados.

Freundel Stuart, prime minister of Barbados, and Secretary-General of CARICOM Irwin LaRocque were in attendance, along with local and regional government ministers, CARICOM Secretariat officials and CARIFESTA delegations from the Caribbean Community and observer countries.

The ceremony was preceded by a colourful parade of participating countries showcasing their cultural traditions, and wearing national colours.

LaRocque told the crowd that the arts are a cornerstone of the regional integration movement, and a force that binds, inspires us, and defines CARICOM in a unique way.

“This year, we celebrate 44 years as a Caribbean Community, and Carifesta has been with us from the beginning. As the cultural flagship, CARIFESTA is a highly-valued CARICOM event that is near and dear to our hearts,” he said.

“Since its inception in 1972 in Guyana, it has given us a regional platform where we can share and exchange, showcase our talents and, in essence, assert our culture and celebrate ourselves.”

The theme for this year’s festival, which runs until 27 August, is ‘Asserting our culture, celebrating ourselves’.

This is the second time that Carifesta has been hosted by Barbados. The land of the flying fish was the venue for Carifesta IV in 1981.

LaRocque said Barbados’ hosting of this year’s festival demonstrated the country’s recognition of the significant contribution that culture and the creative industries can make to economic and social development of member states.