(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The threat of ominous dark clouds and subsequent torrential showers just half-hour before the start, delayed the start, but did not deter the opening show for the tenth staging of the Caribbean Festival of Arts in Guyana yesterday (22 August 2008) under the theme: One Caribbean, One Purpose; Our Culture Our Life. It certainly did not serve as a damper to the spirit of the 15,000 people who poured into the Providence Stadium to be a part of another piece of history in the making.
CARIFESTA X after thirty-six years has returned home to Guyana and more than seventy-five percent of that crowd would not have been around in 1972 when the first one was staged; they were not about to miss this one and so at approximately 5.45pm, the magnificent parade of more than 30 countries – 18 of which were Member States and Associate Members of the Caribbean Community started and at exactly 6:30 as the artistic Director Paloma Mohamed had promised, Celegacy, the moniker given to the opening show, began. Though not without its challenges, most of which was prompted by the earlier torrential rains, Celegacy delivered what it had promised. It was indeed a celebration of our Caribbean legacy.
The lights were dimmed, as one thousand nymph-like dancing creatures representing the diversity of our Caribbean peoples exploded on to the huge green grass parquet that was the outer stage and ignited the audience with a blend of traditional and contemporary dances which merged into the illusion of a traditional Amerindian gathering where the chief – this time in the guise of Guyana’s Minister in the Ministry of Education Dr Desrey Fox – invoked the blessings of the gods on the rest of the show and gave the audience a ‘qweh qweh’ welcome.
Large phoenix-like birds did rise from the ashes as small birds flew to the skies; glyphs and nymphs did leap from every corner of the stage as the 3, 000 promised performers packaged into the nine-segment show – celegacy – traced the rich culture of the Caribbean in its many elements. From the diverse origins of its many beautiful peoples to the vast natural resources residing in the Region and the important philosophical contributions that the Region has made to Caribbean and world culture – a magical moment did indeed unfold.
The first five segments tantalized the audience with its richness of dance, song and riot of colours. The stellar performances included one thousand combined school dancers presenting a taste of Guyana segment, a combined children’s choir of more than three hundred voices presenting a taste of the Caribbean and other stellar performances from Caribbean icons such as the Yoruba Singers; the Ala Kondre Drum Orchestra from Suriname; the Shakti Combined Chutney Group and and Guyana’s National Dance company and combined Indian dance company of more than one hundred dancers.
Segment six was neatly and briefly packaged with speeches from Guyana’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, the Hon Dr Frank Anthony; CARICOM Secretary General, His Excellency Edwin W Carrington and Suriname’s President, His Excellency Drs. Ronald Runaldo Venetiaan, who has lead responsibility for Culture in the Quasi-Cabinet of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM.
All speakers, commended the Government and peoples of Guyana for undertaking the preparations for the Festival in just one short year and expressed their pleasure at being there. They also underscored the critical role that culture played in regional integration and highlighted the need for cultural icons to be recognized; for Caribbean artistes to be supported and for the Caribbean’s cultural products to be appropriately packaged and developed in an effort to sustain our burgeoning cultural industry. One strand which was predominant in all the speeches, much to the crowd’s delight, was the acknowledgment of CARICOM’s Olympian performance led by Jamaica on another world stage- the Beijing Olympics.
But the performances which arguably got the crowd to its feet in a frenzy of applauses was contained in Segments seven and eight where the traditional Masquerade performed by the Malick Folk Performers from Trinidad and Tobago unleashed fire-breathing and whip cracking devils from hell along with all the characters in a typical Caribbean Masquerade; and as if to dance the dust of history’s drum, in the final segment, the life-like jaguar made its spectacular entrance on the periphery of the stage; opened its huge mouth and unleashed thirty-six contemporary dancers who called themselves the First Born and the crowd erupted as they exhibited dance moves derived from the popular Jamaican musical forms of reggae and dancehall.
Then it was time for the President, His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo to declare CARIFESTA X officially opened. Noting that Guyana planned the Festival within one year, the Guyana President said he was always confident that his people could rise to the herculean task and acknowledged the critical role played by the late Forbes Burnham in conceptualising and initiating the first CARIFESTA which Guyana hosted in 1972. He pointed out that no other festival of the magnitude nature and creativity of CARIFESTA existed anywhere in the world and reiterated the need for the Community to strengthen and preserve the integrity of the Festival as well as Caribbean artistes whom he acknowledged as the bastions of CARIFESTA. President Jagdeo alluded to the performance of Jamaican Olympians at the Beijing Olympics and used it to illustrate the Caribbean’s pivotal role and resilience on the world stage. He regarded CARIFESTA as the celebratory meeting of the nations of the Caribbean and bade his guests to enjoy the nine days of cultural feast facilitated by Guyana. CARIFESTA X was then declared officially opened.
And the fireworks lit up the cloudy shroud that were skies to a crowd symphony of aahs and oohs, ushering the grand finale with all delegations and artistes swaying in from all sides of the huge grassy parquet dancing to the sultry sound of Tamika Marshal as she performed the theme song, One Caribbean, and closed with a big bang! CARIFESTA X is now open and the Caribbean and the rest of the world are in for a treat of nine days of cultural extravaganza!
