Business View Caribbean - August 2015 17
G CARIFESTA
0 2015 IN
E, JACMEL,
ONAIVES &
Carifesta is the Caribbean festival of arts which fea-
tures performances from all across the globe. Partici-
pating countries include:
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Dominica
• Montserrat
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Jamaica
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent Grenadines • Suriname
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Turks and Caicos Islands
The History and Evolution of Carifesta
Carifesta is for and about the people of this region; the ‘folk’
who remain the foundation and the driving forces of our collec-
tive nations. These are the unsung ones, who remember the
solid values, the respect, the honesty and the simplicity. They
make it their purpose, their raison d’etre to behave as true
elders do, and bestow their knowledge and experience on the
younger ones. As such, every time this region holds a Carifesta
it is deepening its commitment to its people and reaffirming
its understanding of the value and power of our collective cul-
tures.
The Carifesta celebrations which we are about to enjoy, first
took place in this post-independence format in Guyana in
1972. However, the very first celebration of Caribbean Arts
had taken place twenty years prior in Puerto Rico in 1952.
Only Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica were represented from
among the then British Caribbean Colonies. The possibility of
a regional federation in the late 50’s, spawned another festival
hosted by the University of the West Indies, Trinidad campus.
Unfortunately, the non-starter Federation project also meant
the demise of any region-wide idea of cultural sharing. The
celebrations which were held to commemorate the indepen-
dence and republic status of Guyana between the latter part
of the 1960s into the early ‘70s, led to a great deal of discus-
