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Bahamas Acceptance Speech

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!

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Carifesta X Closing Ceremony

The Cooperative Republic of Guyana has successfully hosted CARIFESTA X. At the closing ceremony gratitude was extended to the people of Guyana for their unmatched hospitality towards the visiting delegations and others who were here to enjoy the festival. The 10th Caribbean Festival of Arts held across Guyana had been a resounding success and as Guyanese we should all be proud to have hosted such a prestigious event once again. As the festival once again leaves these shores we have, in the words of the President of Guyana, “breathe new life” into the festival. The spectacular closing ceremony was filled with only a sample o the cultural richness of the Caribbean region which has been on show for the past 10 days.

The well planned and skillfully executed program was a tribute to the dedication of those responsible. Even down to the finest detail, much care was taken to ensure those present at the closing ceremony would have an evening to remember. The event was planned in such a way to ensure there was not a single moment of boredom. Every item from beginning to end was designed to capture and maintain the collective attention of those gathered. All persons entering the stadium were given flags of Guyana in an effort to ensure that throughout the proceedings flags would be waving, and to this end they were successful. I would be hard-pressed to describe the extravagant program at length, but from the landing of paratroopers on the field to the breadth taking fireworks display, the closing ceremony of CARIFESTA X was probably the most memorable event throughout the entire festival.

The closing ceremony sought to encapsulate portions of the various art forms which were on display throughout the festival over the past ten days as well as an attempt by the next hosts, the Bahamas, to give a taste as to what to expect at CARIFESTA XI in 2010. Over the past 10 days Guyana played host to the Caribbean’s premier festival after only 10 months of planning. Bearing in mind this mega event usually takes 2 years to plan and execute, we as Guyanese have shown our excellence by accomplishing this fete. Imagine what we can do if we put our heads together in the promotion of Guyanese arts and entertainment internationally. I join with the President and all of the visiting delegations in saying congratulations to Guyana on hosting a successful Carifesta X.

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Carifesta X Mega Concert

Amid rumors that the main performing artiste would not be able to make an appearance, the much anticipated Polar Carifesta X Mega Concert got underway. This concert was promoted in the media, even prior to the start of CARIFESTA, as being the biggest concert to hit Guyana. There were also assurances made that an international artiste would be performing live. Though the concert was not as big as the promoters may have wanted it to be they were still able to live up to their promise and bring an international artiste. The length of time it took for the artiste to arrive however caused patrons to become frustrated and even angry.

 

The evening started out with some smooth juggling from the fusion family to get the crowd going. This was happening while the crowd was now building up. The rumors started when admission to the venue no longer required tickets. This caused may persons to wonder if Akon was still slated to perform or whether the promoters had duped them into buying large quantities of beer.

 

The live performances were kicked off by the Brutal Jammers band followed by the man with the Sophia story Ilaman. Gialiani was to follow with his hip hop styled performance. The Polar Ladies were to grace the stage with their presence, showcasing their polar outfits to the appreciative men in attendance.

 

The next string of performances was well received and consisted the likes of Jory and Celeste David. Giants of the Guyanese music industry First Born took to the stage and hyped the crowd with their 45 min performance. Every song selected by the group to perform was well received. This was not hard to imagine with hits such as “irits”, “headlines” and a much loved classic First Born track “how are we gonna survive”.

 

It was at this point in time the frustration stepped in and delay tactics were employed by the promoters. DJ green dongs of fusion audio did some more juggling, at this point it was already 01:30 hrs and there was no sign of the main guest artiste. Brutal jammers band took to the stage once again but this time frustration had turned to anger and bottles and cans of beer were sent flying from the crowd onto the stage. This prompted DJ Kerwin of Hits and Jams to come on stage in an effort to ease the tension building up in the crowd. He gave the crowd assurance that the artiste was in the country and would be making an appearance. He also stated that the president had given the promoters of the event an extension on the permit so as to allow the party to go until sunrise.

 

At approximately 03:05 hrs international recording artiste Akon took to the stage at the National Stadium Providence much to the delight of his loyal fans who stayed through the night to witness his performance. The 3am crowd that greeted the artiste was a fraction of the crowd that had gathered earlier in the evening, but he performed as if the place was packed to capacity. Those who persevered to witness his performance were not disappointed. He even went the extra mile of requesting the crowd to build a “unity bridge” for him to get from the main stage to a platform about 15 feet away. The aim was for the crowd to carry him across and take him back. This he did successfully despite some instances where he had to urge some members of the crowd not to pull him. Notwithstanding his previous experience in Guyana it was a courageous act on his part but much appreciated by his fans.

 

Despite the long wait and rumors fans were rewarded with a full hour’s performance by the artiste. Though there were dramatic segments during the event it would be fair to say the event was a success.

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Carifesta X Gospel Mega Concert

It is widely speculated in some sections of society that Christians are not fun loving people; some even go to the extreme as to even say boring. But if one were to be present at the super concert held on Thursday August 28th at the National Stadium Providence those perceptions about the Christian community would have been shattered.

This historic concert was a spectacular display of talent which can be found within the Christian community. This concert was historic in the sense that this was the first time since the inaugural Carifesta held here in Guyana 36 years ago that the religious community has been invited to play a critical role in the festival. It was also the biggest gospel concert in Guyana to date as well as the biggest super concert to date that has been held at the National Stadium. The composition of those in attendance was also a sight to behold since it brought out the ethnic diversity in our Guyanese society as represented through the Christian community. Though there were persons of various ages present the majority present, at least for the evening segment, were young people.

The organizers sought to provide a spot in their program for various age groups. As a result of this persons with young children were encouraged to come out during the afternoon hours. The event started at 4pm with booths displaying fashionable yet modest pieces of clothing for the entire family. There were also booths set up by the various artiest slated to perform in the evening with their cd’s and dvd’s on sale. For the children there were rides erected outside the ground to keep them busy and having a fun time.

In the evening the program was packed with items from both local and regional gospel artiest. The MC of the event was shared by Pastor Marlon Hestic and Michella Adraham-Ali. The first of the evening’s performances included songs by persons representing the mining town of Linden and the nationally acclaimed Dominion dancers. The Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony addressed the crowd and expressed satisfaction at the large gathering and declared the event a landmark event in the history of Carifesta and as “the largest gospel concert in the history of Guyana”.

Following the address by the Minister the large crowd was presented with steel pan music from a combined church steel orchestra. Despite their best efforts, the sweet music of the steel pan could only be herd by those in the very front of the venue or on stage.

H.E. President Bharrat Jagdeo addressed the over 20,000 strong gathering and expressed delight at the energy emanating from the venue even jokingly stating “we have enough energy in this place to power Guyana for two years without GPL”. The president even quoted a passage of scripture from Psalm 133, much to the delight of the massive gathering.

After the president’s address it was time for the singers to take to the stage and get the crowd going. Local favorites such as Cherlyn Maloney and Sean Sobers from Linden started things off with songs that got the crowd going wild with excitement. There was also an interesting dramatic piece from the members of the Tuckville Assemblies of God Church. The aim of the skit was non discrimination despite the outward appearance of a individual.

The man from Jamaica took to the stage to the loud cheers of his fans. Yes Prodigal Son sang some of his best known reggae styled gospel music which the young people responded to with energetic flag waving and even jumping and screaming throughout his performance.

The energy remained with the crowd throughout the rest of the performances. An energized Eddie Neblette took to the stage to bring the curtains down on the performances for the evening with hits such as “wrong decision” and “love and unity”. Despite the fact that other local acts scheduled for the event did not get to perform because of time constraints, this concert will dwell in the minds of Guyanese as one of the biggest ever super concerts of this Carifesta.

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The Carifesta X Opening Ceremony

The thirty-six year wait is over! Guyana hosts CARIFESTA again and after many doubts and glitches the opening ceremony is nothing short of magnificent. This massive event held on August 22nd, 2008 at the Guyana National Stadium brought entertaining cultural displays to life from the member of states, associate members and non-members respectively (Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Monsterrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts/Nevis, Suriname, Turks and Caicos and Trinidad and Tobago; Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands; Austria, Brazil, Cuba, Indonesia, Netherland Antilles and Venezuela.) Hosted under the theme “One Caribbean, One Purpose, Our Life, Our Culture” CARIFESTA’s tenth staging is slated for August 22 – 31 2008 and promises to bring opening and closing ceremonies, culinary, visual, literary and performing arts, community festivals, grand cultural market, child/youth fora, symposia and workshops, as well as signal events and super concerts.

Despite efforts by heavy rain to thwart the commencement of the opening ceremony things eventually started around 18:00hrs with a grand parade of the nations. Each country showed their colours and cultural pieces as they marched around the ground and the audience cheered and showed their support for the home nation. Guyana had the largest contingent with spectacles showcasing each race and cultural aspect. After the parade was finished MC’s Ron Robinson and Bobby Veira asked all in attendance to stand for Guyana’s National Anthem. Minister within the Ministry of Education Desrey Fox along with a Queh Queh group initiated a welcome piece labelled “Arise Mighty Spirit and Bless Us”. There were musical interludes by choirs, solo and group artistes and bands, and dance segements also. One thousand school dancers presented a well choreographed performance to various songs, followed by a combined school choir and the popular Woodside Choir doing great local folk songs and some Caribbean tunes. As the performances stretched on for hours the grand audience experienced talent from a combined Indian Dance Troupe, the Yoruba Singers, Young Bill Rogers, the Ala Kondre Drummers, Keith Waite and the Shakti Combined Chutney Group. The supporters in attendance cheered continuosly as they were well entertained.

The following segment was opened with a speech by Minister of Tourism Dr. Frank Anthony emphasising on the theme “Celegacy”. Celegacy is a combination of celebration and legacy which Dr. Anthony stated should be instilled and maintained for this year’s CARIFESTA. Edwin Carrington, Secretary General of CARICOM, gave a brief talk on CARIFESTA’s schedule dating back to 1972 and posited that he was impressed with Guyana’s ability to complete such a huge task so elegantly when such a short notice was given. The President of Suriname, Runaldo Ventiaan, agreed with Mr. Carrington and added that CARIFESTA X’s opening ceremony is as grand as Beijing’s Olympic Opening. He said further that even though everything didnt go as planned we should still be grateful that so much has come from this.

First Born and the X Factor dance group entered the next segment with a bang showcasing world renowned musical and dance talent that rose the crowd to it’s feet. And just when we thought that was as far as they could go a huge man-made jaguar emerged from the south-western end of the ground an unleashed 36 dancers from it’s mouth who danced us into excitement for a few moments and then made way for Guyana’s very own President, His Excellency Bharat Jagdeo.

President Jagdeo’s job was to declare CARIFESTA X open and ready for the world. He made tribute to the last president Forbes Burnham and commended him for hosting the very first CARIFESTA in 1972. He also stated that there was no other festival of this size and cultural richness in the world and encouraged everyone to become extremely involved. CARIFESTA X was declared open and fireworks then filled the sky while the sensual Tamika Marshal sang the theme song and the contingents paraded once more. There was much anticipation of the remaining eight days and chatter of fun as guests at the National Stadium left under the bright lights in the sky.

By Patrice Wishart

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Banks Super Concert

On August 23rd 2008 Banks DIH held a Super Concert at the National Stadium as part of the CARIFESTA X celebrations. Crowds poured in from all parts of Guyana and other parts of the Caribbean to witness performances by local and world famous artistes.

Our very own Illaman started the live performances with some of his upcoming hits. Then one of Brutal Tracks’ greater performers, Alabama, stunned the audience with his well appreciated song “Dem don’t care” and others that the persons in attendance weren’t so familiar with. The crowd then rocked to the sweet sounds of World Famous First Born with their tracks such as “Irits”, “Got we own style”, and “How are we going to survive”, just to name a few. After enjoying a few minutes of First Born’s talent the multitude was then laughing to the comical lyrics of Dave Martin and the Trade Winds. After more than thirty minutes of amusing entertainment the highly anticipated soca singer from Barbados, Biggie Irie came on stage to get the crowd moving their waists. Biggie Irie is best known for his smash single “We nah goin home” and he thrilled the masses with his voice and musical antics. He also gave tribute to fellow Barbadian Peter Ram and Jamaican Taurus Riley for their influence on the music industry by singing their current hits. Eventually, Barbadian super star Rupee, teased the mob with excerpts from his hits before making his way to the stage in front of thousands of screaming fans. Rupee enticed persons in attendance with a great list of songs that filled the air with peace, love, harmony and fun. The ladies were going crazy at several intervals and some even managed to get on stage despite attempts by security to control them. The soca super start however soaked up every minute of it and encouraged fans to be safe and enjoy life to its fullest. After a short intermission the level of excitement peaked as the MC announced the next artiste, Mr. Vegas. The noises from the crowds were so loud those at the back could hardly hear Mr. Vegas voice as he performed songs like “Daggerin” and “Hot wuk”. He even got the fans involved by having a small dancing competition on stage between a few ladies. The masses gave their approvals as the ladies showed what they have and Mr. Vegas was enjoying every moment of it.

The event came to halt around 3:00am and as fans left they expressed their views on the evening’s activities. The number of persons in attendance was estimated at 10,000 but some sources say much more. Rupee had visited Guyana before and was asked to return soon to entertain us again. Biggie Irie made his first appearance here but Mr. Vegas has graced us with his presence once before. Rumors have it that the Banks Super Concert is the biggest and best of all for the CARIFESTA X period.

By Patrice Wishart

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Carifesta Designer Profile – Alexis Ryan [Anguilla]

Mr. Alexis S. Ryan made a start in the world of fashion as teen, covertly sketching portraits with various styles of clothing and accessories. He was discovered by his textile teacher who encouraged him to share his talent with others

His first sketch came to life at age sixteen, when he designed a prom dress for his twin sister. In 2002 he was commissioned to design two dresses for the Miss Anguilla pageant; the dresses were subsequently awarded second and third place in the evening wear segment.

To date his designs have been featured at Essence of Style, Taste of the Caribbean, Virgin Islands Fashion Week as well as in Shabeau Magazine, Caribelle, and ITZ Caribbean.com among others

Alexis has started his own clothing line, TheoChris Designs with his mother Marilyn Ryan as a partner and co-designer. The motto for the line says it all, ‘ TheoChris – Dare to be noticed – Clothing for individuals who like to stand out in the crowd.’

Alexis’ believes that that the clothes you wear have a lot to do with how you feel as a person, TheoChirs he says is about you being able to express yourself how you want to.

Designs By Alexis Ryan

TheoChris1TheoChris2

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Carifesta Designer Profile – Janay Reymond [Anguilla]

JanayFrom a very young age nineteen year old Janay Reymond was imbued with a flair for the art; she designed her first dress at age twelve for a cousin who was participating in the Miss Anguilla Pageant. She has always aspired to own a clothing line and that dream became a reality with the launch of the independent label Feelo’Je.

Janay chose the name as both a dedication to everyone who inspired and encouraged her to follow her dream and to capture how much designing is a part of her life. Feelo’Je means Feel-of-Jay: the feel being her passion for the art of fashion and her love of designing, the Jay being what she is affectionately called by her family and friends.

Since the official launch of her swim line on July 1st, 2007, entitled, ‘Feelo’Je’s Traffik Jam’, Janay has created waves. She has showcased her pieces at: WMM’s ‘Show Me Your Body in St. Kitts, the Nevis Fashion Weekend, Virgin Islands Fashion Week and many fashion events in Anguilla and St. Maarten. Her designs have placed in the top 5 at the 2007 Miss Earth Pageant courtesy of Miss Je T’aime Cerge; won best swimsuit at the 2007 Miss Venus Model Pageant, and won third runner up Miss Caribbean Culture courtesy of Miss Latoya Hughes.

Its Janay’s belief that a woman has the ability to be whomsoever she wants; a woman is strong, sensual, stylish, beautiful and ultimately powerful and throughout her designs she brings to life that factor.

Designs By Janay Raymond

Janay2 Janay1 Janay3

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Carifesta Fashion Village in Full Bloom

As Carifesta returns to its homeland from August 22nd -31st 2008, they are many expectations and much was promised. One great promise is the fashion village which will be hosted at the Sophia Exhibition Site. Some months ago, Sonia Noel and her team of industry professionals were given the task of planning the Fashion Focus aspect of Carifesta.

Now, just over eight weeks before Carifesta X, Noel is assuring the Guyanese public that plans are on stream and that she is more excited than ever to be a part of this great Caribbean “mixing bowl.”

Some may be wondering what to expect and looking to mark their calendars for the major fashion shows. Miss Noel explained that there will be 3 main event shows, two displaying fashion and one displaying hair styling and accessories. The first fashion show will be hosted on Sunday August 24th, the hair and accessories show will hit the runway on Wednesday August 27th, while the second fashion show will happen on Saturday August 30th.

The Fashion Focus team also assured that the best of Guyanese models will be on show. This assurance came from model trainer Richard Young who said that because of the huge turn out for the model casting (over 200 persons were there), the panel was able to select from a wide spectrum of faces, looks and ethnicities to come up with the right mix and representation of persons to strut on the catwalk.

The Fashion Village will open on August 23rd to the public from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. and will continue with the same opening hours until August 30th 2008. Each day except the days with the mega shows, there will be free workshops for persons viewing the exhibition. Patrons can learn about personal development, hair and skincare, view make up demonstrations, have a make-over and even find out how to wrap their heads for different occasions.

When the Caribbean comes to Guyana on August 22nd to showcase their many talents, it is quite obvious that the Fashion Village will be filled with beautiful exhibits, lots of designer clothing, top class fashion events and workshops to make every one more fashion ready.

Carifesta fashion focus … In Full Bloom
Public Relations Services provided by

K. Akeem Branch

Managing Director

The Design Factor

Tel: (246) 237-8708

(592) 698-5195

Email: [email protected]

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Fashion Village Heats Up Another Degree

It’s the start of the summer and it’s already heated but the team producing Carifesta Fashion Focus has raised the temperature a few more notches to ensure that the Fashion Village is better than ever for Carifesta Ten with the addition of a third show which will showcase fantasy hair styles and accessories.

Chairman of Carifesta Fashion Focus Sonia Noel explained that many times the work of the hairstylist, jewelry and accessory designers take the back seat to the clothing on display and now the Fashion Focus Team wants to highlight their good work.

Without letting too much out of the bag she explained that the show will be staged as a runway show but with some twists to feature the ancillary industry professionals.

The Fashion focus team is urgently looking for hairstylists who are interested in being a part of the show to promote their talent. For more information, hairstylists are asked to Ruth at 613-7457.

Public Relations Services provided by

K. Akeem Branch

Managing Director

The Design Factor

Tel: (246) 237-8708

(592) 698-5195

Email: [email protected]