The Caribbean Festival of Creative Arts (CARIFESTA) Secretariat in St. Kitts and Nevis has announced the appointment of two key personnel for CARIFESTA VII. They are Stanley Franks, Director General, and Christine Walwyn, chairperson of the Marketing Committee. Both bring a wealth of experience and specialist knowledge to CARIFESTA VII.
Franks was a founding member of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Carnival Committee, while Walwyn is trained in destination management and is a marketing professional in the St. Kits and Nevis Ministry of Tourism. Additionally, Franks is a founding member of the St. Kitts and Nevis Music Festival Committee, a body which he presently heads, while Walwyn is coordinator for the festival.
Franks and Walwyn said they intend to ensure that CARIFESTA VII maintains the high standard that is expected of the Region’s premier cultural festival.
“I want to see CARIFESTA VII positioned as the Caribbean’s premier cultural activity. Furthermore, I see the festival as being of benefit to the host country and also the Caribbean,” said Walwyn.
For his part Franks commented that the festival will serve to showcase the cultural richness of the Region, which will in turn bring some economic reward for the various artists. He predicts that CARIFESTA VII, not unlike previous festivals, will generate economic activity for the business sector in St. Kitts and Nevis as well.
He added that while CARIFESTA VII has the potential to be an event that will bring pride and glory to St. Kitts and Nevis as well as the Caribbean, it is a massive undertaking and, in this regard, the CARIFESTA Secretariat welcomes sponsorship from the business enterprises in St. Kitts and Nevis and the wider Caribbean.
CARIFESTA VII will take place from 17- 26 August 2000 under the theme Caribbean Arts and Culture … Reflecting, Consolidating, Moving On !
The festival will be a grand occasion of celebration for participants, residents and visitors, bringing together representation from over 30 countries to showcase a multi-dimensional experience and a lasting memory of Caribbean culture.
CARIFESTA was first staged in Guyana in 1972 as a celebration of the ethnic and racial diversity which separately and collectively created cultural expressions that are wonderfully unique to the Caribbean. It brings together the States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the wider Caribbean, Latin America; and a representation of Africa, Asia, Europe and North America, out of which the centuries old Caribbean cultural fabric has been woven.
The Region’s premier festival has been hosted by Jamaica in 1975, Cuba in 1979, Barbados in 1981, and Trinidad and Tobago in 1992 and 1995.
