Food and Folk Fair in Chaguanas

Various aspects of TT’s culture — beautifully decorated art and craft items and an array of foods — were on sale at the Food and Folk Fair held at the Mid Centre Mall in Chaguanas on Sunday.

Not even the heavy rains stopped people from all over the country from showcasing their crafts.

These include artisan Phillip Arthur of Arthur’s Novelties at Tacarigua, Madonna Thomas-Wilson of Donzals Craft in Point Fortin, Winnifred Benjamin of Arouca, and Stanley Thomas of Ancestors Beyond in Port of Spain. The Ministry of Sport and Community Development hosted the event.

At its opening, permanent secretary Angela Edwards said the event was in celebration of the Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition’s 60th anniversary.

Edwards said from its inception in 1963, the competition has focused on supporting indigenous theatre and the arts. She added that Best Village continues to promote our nation’s culture through drama, song, music and dance.

She told the gathering that during the day, they could “expect everything that is our culture, from our folk characters to our food.”

Several events were carded for the day, including the Menu of the Day, the best local wine and the Miss Petit Mamselle competitions.

“Our future generation must have the opportunity to learn about, understand and appreciate the richness of our culture and heritage,” Edwards said.

“The ministry believes that activities such as this one today are important for expressing our traditions and building our cultural brand.”

She quoted Mahatma Gandhi, who said, “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and souls of its people.”

“Activities like our Food and Folk Fair help to build culturally-rich communities — communities that are resilient, self-sufficient, and which foster a spirit of unity in our land. It is also an opportunity, of course, for us to have fun and for all of us to come together to enjoy what makes us a very unique people.”

She encouraged people to support all the Best Village activities, which include the ongoing folk theatre preliminaries, the Village Olympics, and the community sports festivals.