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An international drum festival is on the cards for Barbados.
Minister of Family, Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley, made the revelation recently during the launch of the Commission for Pan African Affairs’ Strategic Indentity-Renewal and Integrated Upliftment Strategy (SIRIUS) Project, which seeks to integrate various Government agencies and departments charged with developing and "transforming society" so they could be more effective.
Mr. Lashley said that earlier this year, the Commission’s Mabalozi Drum-making Project was launched at the Grantley Adams Memorial School to equip students with the skills to manufacture drums.
He pointed out that the programme was progressing well and the aim was not only to offer drum-making in schools but to branch out into the commercial manufacturing of drums that could be used for export.
"We also want to launch, fairly soon, an international drum festival in Barbados. That is key, part of the mission of growing the creative sector is to ensure that Barbados can so transform itself that our cultural industries can bring to Barbados much needed foreign exchange. I am convinced that part and parcel of that is to use the medium of additional festivals to bring activity and to bring foreign exchange into Barbados," the Minister asserted.