 |
|
For
Immediate Release
December 15th, 2007 CARIFESTA X August 22 – 31, 2008 Guyana, South America One Caribbean, One Purpose, Our Culture, Our Life CARIFESTA, the premier cultural festival of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), will be held in Guyana from August 22 to 31, 2008, under the theme “One Caribbean, One Purpose, Our Culture, Our Life.” Over the ten-day period, 100 events will be presented. These events will feature all aspects of Caribbean creative expression—the culinary arts, fashion, the literary arts, the performing arts, and the visual arts. In addition, there will be programs featuring the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, symposia focusing on the future of Caribbean culture and cultural industries, super concerts, as well as calypso, chutney, reggae, soca, and steel band festivals, and special events for Caribbean youth. The first CARIFESTA, CARIFESTA 72, was held in Guyana in 1972 and brought together writers, artists, musicians, dancers, poets, and other creative people from more than 30 Caribbean and Latin American countries. The audiences were not only Guyanese but included visitors from other Caribbean countries, the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world. CARIFESTA 72 was a celebration and a showcase of the ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity that is the hallmark of the Caribbean. It was inspirational and left a legacy of education and community development. This orientation and spirit have marked the nine CARIFESTAs that have followed since 1972—Jamaica (1976), Cuba (1979), Barbados (1981), Trinidad and Tobago (1992), Trinidad and Tobago (1995), St. Kitts and Nevis (2000), Suriname (2003), and Trinidad and Tobago (2006), One innovation in CARIFESTA X is a systematic effort to encourage the participation of the Caribbean Diaspora. To do this, a number of CARIFESTA Chapters are being established across the Caribbean Diaspora. While declaring open the Family Fun Day of the Guyana Folk Festival on Sunday, September 1, 2007, His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo, President of the Republic of Guyana, invited the organizers, the Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc., to become engaged in CARIFESTA X.
On December 7, 2007, the Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc., was designated the New York CARIFESTA 2008 Chapter by Guyana’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. The core tasks of the New York CARIFESTA 2008 Chapter will be to: • Promote
CARIFESTA X among the Caribbean Diaspora in the United States
of America, particularly in the New York area. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports expressed confidence that the association “would also play a leading role in mobilizing support from other parts of the United States.” The New York CARIFESTA 2008 Chapter has established a number of interdisciplinary task groups. These task groups are chaired by a number of experienced Caribbean professionals and cultural activists from the following organizations: The Blue Pan Project, Brooklyn Caribbean Youth Festival, Caribbean Cultural Theatre, Caribbean Literacy and Culture Center of the Brooklyn Public Library, Caribbean Media Enterprises, Caribbean Society for the Visual Arts, eCaroh Caribbean Emporium, Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc., Guyana Day Committee, Guyana Tri-State Alliance, Impressions Dance Company, Meyer Levin High School for the Performing Arts, Nritya Kala Kendra International Academy for Indian Dance Art and Culture, and the Rajkumari Cultural Center. Other cultural organizations in the United States that are interested in contributing to CARIFESTA X are encouraged to make contact with the New York CARIFESTA 2008 Chapter. Contact information is provided below. The Task Groups will ensure that the Caribbean Diaspora will be able to participate in the following aspects of CARIFESTA X: • Information,
Communication, and Marketing (Co-chairs: Dr. Vibert Cambridge,
Claire Goring, Roy Singh, Claire Patterson-Monah, and Donna Flemming) All Caribbean persons, persons of Caribbean ancestry, and friends of the Caribbean in the United States are encouraged to participate in CARIFESTA X. Attractive travel packages are being developed. Visitors to CARIFESTA X will be able to enjoy a number of world class super concerts, art exhibitions, book exhibitions, and theatrical performances. Participants from the Caribbean Diaspora in the United States of America can make positive contributions to the conversations that will take place during CARIFESTA X on the state of Caribbean culture and developing a road map for the future. The members of the New York CARIFESTA 2008 Chapter are aware of the significant amount of work that still has to be done and look forward to your advice, guidance, and support. For further information on CARIFESTA X, please contact the Secretariat of the Guyana Folk Festival, 1368 E. 89th Street, Suite #2, Brooklyn, NY 11236. Telephone: 718-209-5207 or e-mail Malcolm Hall, President, Guyana Cultural (Guyfolkpresident@aol.com); Claire Goring, Cultural Director, Guyana Cultural Association (ClaireAGoring@aol.com); or Dr. Vibert Cambridge, Diaspora Coordinator for Carifesta 2008 (cambridg@ohio.edu). The Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc., the organizers of the Guyana Folk Festival has launched a web site for Carifesta 2008. Please visit it at: http://www.guyfolkfest.org/carifestax2008.htm
|