Best Village suspended over covid19

The covid19 pandemic has forced suspension of the Prime Minister's Best Village Trophy Competition. Programme director of Best Village Keon Francis said all community centres in TT were declared closed during the first week of March this year.

“Tutors attached to Best Village began classes on February 10, and one month after, everyone was instructed to abandon classes until further notice.”

That instruction, Francis said, came from Culture Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby Dolly as she moved to reduce person-to-person contact which can contribute to the spread of the covid19.

Francis said Culture Ministry employs scores of tutors who train performers in the various disciplines in art and culture in the country. They were told to stop all tutoring. The tutors were contracted to teach folk music, folk dance, directing plays, drama, drumming and tassa.

“We had no choice in the matter, and we are hoping that by April 20 classes will resume and tutors can go back to their jobs."

Francis said preliminary judging of folk production was due to begin on April 27 but that date will hopefully be pushed back to May.

“At this point in time I am advising all those who are involved in song, music, dance and drama to use the time to develop their skills while at home.”

Folk presentation finals were due to take place on August 2 at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) in San Fernando. Literature competition was scheduled for August 6 at City Hall, Port of Spain. Dance categories which include, spiritual, national, patriotic, soca, and freestyle, were supposed to take place on August 8 at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain.

Best Village was due to end by September 5 with the Le Grand Z’Affaire Gown and the Limbo Champion finals at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

Francis said those events would now be pushed to October and November.

Best Villages encourages the participation of as many community members as feasible, he added.

Performers will be judged at the county level before advancing to the finals. The counties of St George East, St George West, St Andrew/St David, Nariva/Mayaro, Victoria East, Victoria West, St Patrick East, St Patrick We, Caroni North, Caroni South and Tobago (Leeward and Windward) are represented at the PM’s competition every year.