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| Permanent Secretary in the Division of Culture and Sports, Shirley Farnum, in conversation with President of the UWI Cave Hill Campus Guild of Students, Odwin Trenton, at the launch. (C. Pitt/BGIS)?? |
Organisers of the Cave Hill Campus carnival – KadUWIval – have been told that it has the potential to contribute significantly to cultural development in Barbados and the region.
While addressing the official launch of KadUWIval recently, Permanent Secretary in the Division of Culture and Sports, Shirley Farnum, told the organisers they should seek to forge partnerships with key agencies so they could obtain the greatest possible benefits for the future development of the event.
"I am sure too that KadUWIval has the potential to lure even more visitors, including UWI [University of the West Indies] alumni, and their families to Barbados every year at this time… Barbados would welcome a designation as the cultural capital of the region. We would, therefore, like to continue adding appealing cultural activities to our annual calendar of events," Ms. Farnum stated.
She also suggested that the organisers should broaden the range of cultural activities in order to encourage as many students as possible to develop and express their creativity. "In addition to masquerade bands, for example, why not also organise a visual arts exhibition, or develop dance, drama and the arts?" she asked.
She noted that a number of community festivals were currently being held across the island and expressed the view that the Cave Hill Campus should consider staging a Cave Hill Festival, featuring masquerade bands, among other things.
Permanent Secretary Farnum encouraged the organisers to get familiar with the draft Cultural Industries Development Bill and learn about the potential benefits contained in its provisions. "These benefits could be important for the development of KadUWIval," she declared.
She stressed that the Bill would provide incentives to encourage and promote entrepreneurship and investment in the culture sector. "In addition to the fact that all of these initiatives are aimed in one way or another at facilitating and promoting positive cultural development, there is also another common thread running through them. That is the focus on the involvement of our young people … who are not only our future, but also our present.
"We recognise that their input is critical to the success and the sustained cultural development of our country and the region," she maintained.
During her wide-ranging address, Ms. Farnum gave an update on Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison which has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. "We are now in the process of giving effect to the terms of the Management Plan for the Site, particularly in terms of the establishment of a suitable directional and interpretive signage system and a dynamic public education programme," she disclosed.
She added that Government was currently preparing for the official inscription ceremony later this year.