It’s not easy to extract a thoughtful creative perspective from the Guyanese craftspeople who journeyed to Barbados for CARIFESTA X111. There were simply too many other distractions…………like the demanding pursuits of assembling consignments of art and craft then having these loaded into a government-sponsored container to be shipped to Barbados; and trying to negotiate sponsorship for air travel and room and board in Barbados from a fatigued private sector and after you would have arrived in Barbados, having to endure the logistics of registering your presence, securing your belongings and setting yourself up to do business, utilizing an opportunity that rarely arises at home.
It is easy in that environment to forget that CARIFESTA has other important objectives, not least among which is the showcasing of the various cultures of the region. That is exactly what happened in a great many instances. Our craftspeople went to Barbados to ketch their hands and when we spoke with them afterwards they were able to tell us little about the celebratory aspects of the event, the theatre, the dance, the poetry reading and the parading of the various talents from around the region.