Festival City, built specifically to house the delegates of the first ever Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) in 1972, came alive on Saturday night with cultural presentations from delegates from a number of countries.
According to a release from the CARICOM Secretariat, Saint Lucian masqueraders “electrified the crowd” which also saw performances from St. Kitts and Nevis and Guyana.
The release said that Deputy Mayor, Robert Williams in his speech said that the cultural presentation was indicative of the desire of the residents of Festival City to remember CARIFESTA 72.
The event was organized by the Festival City Triveldt Community Development Association and according to the release its chairman, Randolph Gordon, said CARIFESTA X was expected “to bridge the gap between what existed at the first Caribbean Festival of Arts and the transformations that have taken place over the years.”
He recalled that persons were encouraged to work 25 to 30 hours per week, voluntarily, with the expectation of becoming owners of those houses through an affordable repayment arrangement at the conclusion of the festival.
And the release said that the venue used for Saturday night’s presentation was utilised in 1972 as the main dining hall for the contingents. Saint Lucian-born writer and broadcaster, John Lee, who was at the first CARIFESTA, said the dining hall was an area that came alive with the cultures of the Caribbean each evening over the 20 days of the Festival.
He recalled that the convergence of Caribbean artistes in one place created the opportunity for interaction among prolific Caribbean novelists and playwrights, singers and drummers. That enriching experience, he said, played an invaluable role in fashioning his career as a writer.
