Hon. Charles Maynard Minister Of State For Culture Commonwealth Of The Bahamas at The Closing Ceremony Of Carifesta X Georgetown, Guyana August 31, 2008.
I bring you warm greetings on behalf of Our Prime Minister, The Rt. Hon. Hubert Ingraham, the government and people of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. I would firstly like to congratulate President Hon. Bharat Jagdeo and the people of Guyana on your outstanding hosting of Carifesta X, which concludes today.
For the past ten days, we have seen the people of Guyana spare no effort to welcome the people of the Caribbean to your beautiful shores, and against the backdrop of your beautiful country, you have provided exciting opportunities and venues for us all to showcase our cultures. I think I can speak for all of the visiting delegates and say a special thank you to all the liaison officers who have gone above and beyond to make our stay pleasurable.
My government is especially indebted to Guyana for your hosting of Carifesta X, because it was The Bahamas who accepted the mantle to host Carifesta X at the closing of Carifesta IX in Port-Of-Spain, Trinidad in 2006. In the intervening period, unforeseen circumstances at home made it necessary for us to defer our commitment to 2010, and we were therefore delighted and thankful when Guyana stepped in to bring Carifesta back to its birth place which considering this was the tenth festival seems the right place for it any way.
This magnanimous act on your part, has further strengthened the strong bonds that already exist between our two nations, and we anticipate even closer ties as we move forward together. I would like to express my personal appreciation for the insight and advice offered to us from The Hon. Frank Anthony as I now must fill the large shoes which he has capably worn for the last year. Guyana has carried the CARIFESTA movement to another level by being innovative and we must now take the baton and run with it.
In the interim, the close cultural bonds forged among all of our nations by Carifesta should continue to flourish and grow, and in this vein, The Bahamas looks forward to very shortly hosting Professor Rex Nettleford and the National Dance Company of Jamaica, as the University of the West Indies observes its sixtieth anniversary. The Government of the Bahamas expects to support a number of such signature events leading up to 2010 and beyond.
At one of the Symposia this week, Earl Lovlace asked a question: “What have we done with what we have done?” The question for us is “what will be done with what we have done here for the past ten days”. The new model of CARIFESTA is geared toward building cultural industries throughout this region. This evening, we pledge our full and sincere support of the vision for Carifesta, and we proudly reaffirm our commitment to host Carifesta XI in The Bahamas, in the year 2010.
In that year, we will welcome the people of the Caribbean to our beautiful archipelago of seven hundred islands, for a joyous celebration of our unique cultures. For the past ten days, we have been given an excellent example of a successful Carifesta, and we accept the challenge to do likewise.
I would also like to remind you that annually we welcome over five million visitors to our shores, and in 2010 we are extending a special invitation to the world, to come and experience the Caribbean at its best, in The Bahamas. The Carifesta Experience will be showcased to an international audience like never before.
So until then, we leave you with the sights and sounds of the Spirit of The Bahamas….Junkanoo. Thank you and Good Evening!