It just doesn’t feel as though a major cultural event is coming up. Maybe it’s because we haven’t heard anything much lately or maybe because we haven’t been paying much attention or…something we can’t quite pin down.
Normally, whenever the date for an event that you’re eagerly looking forward to draws closer, a feeling of anticipation emerges that grows stronger as the days go by. It’s a feeling of not being able to wait until the event is actually here.
In case you haven’t realized it, Carifesta, the Caribbean Festival of Arts, is just about five weeks away. And make no mistake; we are looking forward to it but somehow the feeling of anticipation, the enthusiastic expectation of attending such a major event is just not there.
Maybe it’s because of the more pressing concerns of everyday life — including the rising cost of living — but even so, a little more enthusiasm could at least be generated. So where is the rising tempo of expectation, where is the fever of Carifesta manifesting itself in different ways? Earlier in the year, we had the ‘fever’ but it has just waned. The heat is definitely not on.
Even the Olympics, which is going to take place in the same month in China is generating more enthusiasm. We know about ‘One World One Dream’, we know who Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, and Asafa Powell are. We’ve watched portions of the Olympic torch relay and can’t wait to see the opening ceremony and try to spot the Guyanese athletes and then the actual games. We definitely have that spirit.
Now about Carifesta. Who is coming? Is Sparrow, that mighty calypsonian, going to be here? What about Dave Martins and the Tradewinds? Who? What? Where? When? Why? Where is the schedule of activities (the schedule on the website is not detailed enough)? What plays should we look forward to? Who are the performers for the super-concerts? (We can safely say it’s not Bounty Killa or Mavado). We would like to see some particular regional performers but are they coming? If so, where can we get tickets? If there was a train packed with the Carifesta spirit, it is either that we have missed it or it has not yet arrived and if that it the case, it is very late! Something has to be done quickly before the festival fizzles, as some say it will.
And most of the ads on television (who listens to radio) are over-used, for example, while some of us like the Carifesta song, because it has been played so often some of us have come to dislike it with a vengeance. No enthusiasm being drummed up there. And the usually dry news reports do nothing for the spirit of Carifesta. Are there souvenirs for the festival? Are there t-shirts being sold? Where can we find them? As an aside, the Golden Arrowhead on the light posts along the East Bank highway look good but you have to look really closely to see the tiny flags of the other countries.
Sad but true, the spirit of Carifesta has not caught on and instead of emailing our friends overseas about the festival, we talk about the Olympics. Michael Phelps…oh yeah, the swimmer, who can beat him and do you know that Ronaldinho is going to play for Brazil after all? Sparrow…ahh…I’m not sure whether he’ll be here.
So can you feel the heat? Yes, indeed… the Olympics heat! (thescene@stabroeknews.com)
