TriniView.com Staff Article
Event Date: September 22, 2006
The Gala Opening Ceremony of the Carifesta IX celebrations took place on Friday 22nd September, 2006, at the Hasley Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago to disappointing reviews. Although the stadium was filled with thousands of curious spectators, the gala failed to live up to the expectations of a truly grandiose event.
The opening event lacked substance, creativity and simply put, true Caribbean flavour and failed to provide a holistic appreciation of Caribbean culture. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago being the host of this event, was unsuccessful in its attempt to present the culture of the country in a meaningful way and possibly, due to poor organization or lack of ingenuity on the part of the planners, utilized the same elements such as the Carnival characters seen in almost every government endorsed event held during and after the Carnival season, which was a bit boring to say the least.
The opening gala began with a welcome by some 950 children, all dressed in white, lined with either red, blue, green, pink or yellow with matching circular headgear, running through the various entrances of the stadium. The kiddies performed their routines quite well but their exit seemed unplanned and uncoordinated. Actually, the time of their exit almost equaled the time of their performance which left many spectators confused and others in tumultuous laughter at the embarrassing blunder.
After this odd situation was a call to the ancestors to bless the occasion and a song, "Missing Generation," by Ella Andall whose great performance was periodically interrupted because of poor microphone quality.
Other cultural presentations at the gala opening included children dancing to various Soca songs (which proved to be one of the more entertaining aspects of the entire event), kids dressed in traditional Mas characters such as blue devils, moko jumbies and midnight robbers with the Carifesta IX combined choir and pan music accompanying several of the performances. Also present were Chutney artiste, Mr. Heeralal Rampartap and Soca artiste, Ms. Nadia Batson who entertained the audience as well as the other Caribbean guests when they assembled in the stadium and an opening chant by Brother Resistance.
The highlight of the event was the Olympic styled entry from contingents from all over the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, French Guiana, Guyana, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Surinam and Trinidad and Tobago. Although the Trinidad and Tobago contingent was large and had the comfort of being at home, the group from Barbados had all the energy needed to liven the stadium and had the audience in extreme excitement.
Senator Joan Yuille-Williams welcomed to Carifesta IX the people of the various Caribbean nations, on behalf of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and the people of the host country. In her speech she stressed that development was not about roads, banks and bridges but about people and that the people of the Caribbean are essential in improving the status of Caribbean nationals.
Also present to share a few words was the Lead Head of CARICOM with responsibility for Culture and President of the Republic of Surinam, His Excellency, Runaldo Ronaldo Venetian who expressed his honour in being present at the Gala Opening Ceremony of Carifesta IX Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. Venetian explained that Trinidad and Tobago is at the center of the world stage as proven by the Soca Warriors performance in the World Cup Series and reminded the audience that it is the fifth time Trinidad and Tobago is hosting this event and extended congratulations to the country.
Carifesta IX was formally declared open by Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable Mr. Patrick Manning who extended greetings to all Caribbean nationals at "... this very important juncture in history", speaking particularly about the establishment of the CSME. He, like the Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Senator the Honourable Mrs. Joan Yuille-Williams indicated that people are critical to development and went on to state that the people of the Caribbean have shaped and continue to shape the culture of the world. Lastly, Mr. Manning stated that this Carifesta IX is a prototype of the new Carifesta and Trinidad and Tobago was proud to present this slice of Caribbean talent to all.
Unfortunately, the gala opening was not a reflection of Mr. Manning's optimistic vision and not even the fireworks that ended the celebration could have added enough sparks to light up the event.
Carifesta IX Gala Opening in pictures:
www.triniview.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=95081
Carifesta IX | Homepage | Special Events | Photo Gallery
|
