In spite of some hiccups, the departure of the delegations that came for Carifesta seems to have gone well.
According to information received from the Carifesta Secretariat, 24 delegations came to Guyana, and this number excludes those who would have travelled from the Diaspora.
Stabroek News was told that almost all have the contingents have returned to their respective countries. And so far there have been no reports of any major blunders.
According to Dr Nicolette Bethel, the head of the Bahamian delegation, there were some glitches when the contingent left on Monday. But she said that this was expected with such a large contingent. The Bahamian delegation was one of the larger ones, with 140 members.
She added that the delegation was satisfied with the arrangements put in place by the Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with regard to its departure. She also confirmed that all of their luggage had arrived safely.
Bethel also commended the Guyanese officials for their help in enabling the Bahamian delegates to get their Junkanoo costumes. The costumes only arrived last Thursday owing to problems with the shipping company in the Bahamas. She said that when the costumes eventually arrived, the Secretariat was very helpful in ensuring that the costumes were cleared quickly and given to them. As such, the Bahamians were able to deliver their Junkanoo performance at the closing ceremony on Sunday.
Stabroek News was informed that a few delegations left before the end of Carifesta including the contingent from Brazil. Part of this delegation left on Monday, while the other part departed on Wednesday. According to one of the liaison officers attached to this contingent, the arrangements for the Brazilian departure went smoothly.
The group from the British Virgin Islands also left yesterday and reports are that its departure was hassle free as well.