Barbados opens for Carifesta XV

BARBADOS is inviting the region and beyond to its ten-day celebration of the arts – Carifesta XV – which will also serve as a think-tank towards viable solutions to topical issues such as the climate crisis.

"Caribbean Roots, Global Excellence" is the theme of this year's celebration which runs from August 22-31.

Newsday spoke to Graham Clarke of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) who had flown in from Barbados to do a media blitz in TT on July 22 to promote Carifesta, before flying on to Guyana.

"We are expecting delegates from 25 countries in the Caribbean and the world including the African continent including Ghana, plus Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and many others.

"Carifesta will be a melting pot of cultures, languages, products and services, and people from diverse backgrounds and places.

"Each country brings the best of what represents them as a nation."

He viewed Carifesta as "a celebration of Caribbean excellence."

Clarke said some events would be paid and some free, some would run solely and some run concurrently.

He said Carifesta would include a special village dedicated to youth, where conversations would be had on climate change, new technologies and intellectual property rights in the arts.

Clarke said, "Big discussions will focus on building resilient economies and people in the Caribbean. It is not just about adaptation but mitigation.

"Hopefully some big ideas will come out of this."

Bajan Prime Minister Mia Mottley has become a major voice on the UN stage in support climate mitigation, even as the region currently faces a bloom of Sargassum seaweed on its shores, largely blamed on global warming. Clarke noted Mottley's position as a leading voice for small island developing states (SIDS), and reckoned she might have a presence at Carifesta.

Saying CAL, the Barbados Tourism and Hotel Association, and Intimate Hotels of Barbados were all on board for Carifesta, he said accommodation would be available, "from the luxurious to the budget-conscious." Clarke said, "Just come. We are inviting people to be a part of it."

The Caribbean festival of arts was highlighted in a recent statement by the BTMI.

"The island is proud to announce that it is ready and fully equipped to welcome the Caribbean and the world for ten unforgettable days of music, art, dance, fashion, food, film, and cultural dialogue.

“Barbados is the place to be this August for Carifesta XV, which will be a beautiful melting pot of Caribbean cultures, foods, fashion, performances and visual arts.”

The statement said Carifesta will honour what makes each island unique and celebrate the vibrant threads that bind us all.

"This is where the best of the Caribbean will be, in one place, at one time, in Barbados.”

BTMI said the festival will include four super concerts with regional and global icons, the Carifesta Film Festival, daily fashion shows, culinary showcases, the Grand Market and Trade Hub, a Youth Village, and the Big Conversations Symposia for debating Caribbean identity, climate, and innovation. Details are available at www.visitbarbados.org/carifesta and www.Carifesta.net.