Best Village finals begin

THE finals of the Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy competition begins at the Five Rivers Secondary School from 9 am and will continue through to August 24.

For over 56 years, this competition has been a story of community vision, extraordinary talent, exquisite indigenous cuisine, and a preserver of TT’s culture and folk tradition. For 2019, there have been some changes to the format of the programme. The preliminary round was replaced to allow for more tutoring and preparation time, said a media release from the Ministry of Culture, Community Development and Arts.

The competition is an initiative of the Ministry's Division of Community Development. While Trinidad remains the main competition hub, Tobago, having returned to the competition in 2017, also participates in this keenly contested event, that is open to all villages, community councils, women’s groups, youth groups, sporting and cultural organisations.

Participants are assessed in the following categories:

Food Fair (Menu of the Day)

La Reine Rive (Ms Best Village)

Folk Productions/Presentations

Literature (Village Chat/Poetry/Short Story)

Junior Best Village (non-competitive)

Culture Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said in the release, “for 2019, the competition is even more intense as groups with scores 70 per cent and over secure a place in the Folk Arts Festival, which forms part of the Carifesta XIV August 16-25. This is a unique and rare opportunity for some groups as the best of the Best Village community will perform in the biggest regional festival of the arts affording them regional and international exposure.”

For more info and updates: cdca.gov.tt or the ministry’s Facebook and IG pages.