This year’s Season of Emancipation will see a number of new elements introduced, including a plan to encourage parishes to adopt a national hero and come up with a community project to chronicle his or her life.
This was among the activities disclosed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Culture, Senator Shantal Munro-Knight, during the media launch for the Season of Emancipation and Crop Over Festival at Ilaro Court, recently.
Senator Munro-Knight proffered that the theme Reimagining the Past Celebrating the Future presented an opportunity to reframe the narrative of what we were told about who we are as a people and reclaim ownership of our narrative.
The Minister stated: “We are going to ground the Season of Emancipation in our communities in a way that we have not done before. One of the lessons that we’ve learnt from last year was that we had an excellent Season of Emancipation 2022 and a number of successful events.
“What we learned from all of the surveys and all of the engagement that we did with our stakeholders is that they wanted to see the Season reflected within their communities, within their homes, within their streets and within their gaps…. That’s exactly what we intend to do for 2023.”
This year’s Season of Emancipation activities kick off on April 14 with the Anniversary of Bussa Rebellion documentary to be aired on that date. On April 28, National Heroes Day, each parish would choose a national hero and undertake a community project that reflect the spirt of their chosen hero.
One of the highlights of the Season will be May 25, Africa Day, where a series of competitions will be staged. School children will also engage in a story-telling hour under the casuarina tree.
Meanwhile, the Crop Over festivities begin on May 25 with the Visual Art Exhibition Series, which runs until August 27. There will be Crop Over Sweet Limes at various locations throughout the month of June, followed by the Ceremonial Delivery of the Last Canes on Saturday, July 1, at Hayman’s Factory, St. Peter.
This year’s Pic-o-De-Crop Finals will be held in a new venue – the National Botanical Gardens. The Junior Monarch Semi-Finals and Finals, Junior Monarch, Pandemonium, and Soca 4.0, will also be held in the Botanical Gardens.