The Artistic Director of the Cayman National Cultural Foundation, Henry Muttoo, believes that the entire structure of Carifesta needs to be revamped.
In a recent interview with this newspaper Muttoo, who is Guyanese, said that Carifesta is excellent for the Caribbean but suggested that it needed to be re-examined. He believes that it would be better if Carifesta is reduced to a smaller festival in which only the very best artists of the region participate.
According to him, “Carifesta is now a free-for-all since anybody can come.” He feels that in featuring only the very best artistes of the region at the festival, the others who are not so accomplished will have an added incentive to improve. He noted that artists are driven by their egos and would want to be recognised for outstanding work and will no doubt improve.
He went on to explain how the very best could be selected. He said that different territories could be picked to host preliminary festivals for a specific discipline to which all the regional artists in that particular field would be invited. From these preliminary festivals, the best should be determined and only they should be allowed to participate in Carifesta. Muttoo said further that under this system, the festival would have to return to the initial format of being hosted every four years, so as to allow time for the preliminary events to be held. Currently the festival is held every two years.
He also asserted that the organising committee of Carifesta should be free of political interference. “The government of the host country should fund the event and stay out. Let the artists do their thing,” he told this newspaper.
Run Carifesta like a
business
Yet, he is adamant that “Carifesta needs to be run like a business.” He said that there needs to be a strategic plan and then finances should be provided by the government to implement this plan. But he insisted that the Secretariat or whoever is in charge of Carifesta needs to be audited.
Muttoo said that he is glad to be in Guyana to celebrate Carifesta in his home country once again.
He identified the first Carifesta in 1972 as leaving an indelible mark on him and suggested that was one of the main reasons why he returned for this Carifesta.
He admitted that when he first heard that Guyana had agreed to host the festival after The Bahamas withdrew, he was skeptical that the country could do so successfully.
But now that he is here, he is fairly satisfied.
He said that although there have been glitches, these may have been avoided had the country had two years to prepare for the event.
In his view Carifesta offers a tremendous opportunity for artists to meet and learn from each other, but they must learn the right thing. And that is why, he said, the festival should exemplify professionalism at its best.
According to him, the young artists need good examples to follow, and therefore certain things should never be encouraged. He identified the simple discipline of starting events on time as an example of professionalism which needs to put in place at Carifesta events.
The playwright and director also stated that CARICOM should play a greater role in preserving the cultural heritage of the Caribbean. According to Muttoo, the organisation should become the arts repository for the region.
This, he said, will not only preserve the rich cultural heritage of the region but if opened to the public can foster greater interest in the arts.