Minister of Culture, Sport and Youth, Stephen Lashley (left) taking a tour of the newly renovated Theatre with Manager of Administration at the National Cultural Foundation, Wayne Webster (centre) and CEO of NCF, Cranston Browne.
Planning for CARIFESTA XIII intensifies
In two weeks Barbados will host, for the second time, CARIFESTA and Festival Director, Andrea Wells has revealed that the planning has intensified.
Wells’ comment came during a tour of the different venues set to host various CARIFESTA events yesterday morning.
“Planning has intensified and we are very excited about the number of acts that have been confirmed from around the region and the diaspora. Many of the persons from the Caribbean region have sent broad, general information about their acts, but it’s the specifics that we need that will help us fine tune our programme,” she said.
The Festival Director noted that many of their plans included ensuring that matters such as transportation, security, liaison, translation and other services that help them to produce a worthwhile festival for both Barbadians and our visitors were set.
“So yes, long meetings, but we have a very designated team full of very eager, young volunteers working with us in various capacities as well as lots of very skilled Barbadians who have stepped up to the plate to ensure that this is a very successful festival. So we are exhausted and excited at the same time,” she said.
Wells went on to note that she, along with other members of the planning committee were very pleased with the qualities of the finishes that they were seeing at the Daphne Joseph Hackett Theatre.
“It really is for me, someone that has worked in the artistic sector for a long time, a great relief that we have finally gotten to a point of revitalising this institution. I think that Daphne Joseph Hackett must be smiling right now and I know that our artists are looking forward to having their work staged and displayed in the Queen’s Park House,” she said.
For CARIFESTA, she revealed that the theatre will host the exhibition of the Masters. She explained that this exhibition put some of Barbados’ and the region’s finest artists on display that followed the theme “History and Infinity”. Additionally, she noted that it would also host a variety of acts and performances during the 10 day period.