Sports Minister Leonard Montoute sent the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) committe into a tailspin when earlier this year he declared that the Mindoo Phillip Park - the traditional host venue- will not be used for the staging of major Carnival events this year.
But following a meeting with the CDF, the Minister recanted his statement saying that he is now open to both culture and sports co-existing in the same venue, but he placed the onus in the hands of Sports Saint Lucia Inc. Sports Saint Lucia Inc manages all major sporting venues on the island. Now getting them to agree to host Carnival at the Mindoo Phillip Park is now the job of the CDF.
Just weekes to go before the official launching of the 2010 Carnival, there seems to be a case of more questions than answers. Original scheduled for a May 30 date, the launching had to be postponed to June 6 due to a myriad of issues relating to venues for various shows. Executive Director of the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF), Kennedy "Boots" Samuel said a series of ongoing meeting have been organized 'to thrash out the ongoing logistics and other matters relating to Carnival 2010."
All major Carnival activities including the Power Soca Monach and the King and Queen of the Bands competition have been held at that park for more than a decade. Carnival organisers have also expressed concern regarding the availability of a suitable venue to stage major carnival events like calypso and soca competition.
According to Montoute, the government had invested $700,000 to upgrade the facility and wanted to protect their investment from the damage usually caused by carnival. Press secretary Darnley Lebourne says government representatives are looking forward to meeting with a recently appointed task force to come up with an alternative yet suitable venue to host the carnival shows. He added that the government is fully committed to support the growth and development of St. Lucia's carnival heritage. Carnival is Saint Lucia's premiere cultutal showcase.
Samuel said that the most likely alternative for the launch is Pigeon Island National Landmark. The setting, he said, creates an appropriat backdrop for the cultural event despite concerns from many who think that the true carnival feeling will be lost. - LTD
But following a meeting with the CDF, the Minister recanted his statement saying that he is now open to both culture and sports co-existing in the same venue, but he placed the onus in the hands of Sports Saint Lucia Inc. Sports Saint Lucia Inc manages all major sporting venues on the island. Now getting them to agree to host Carnival at the Mindoo Phillip Park is now the job of the CDF.
Just weekes to go before the official launching of the 2010 Carnival, there seems to be a case of more questions than answers. Original scheduled for a May 30 date, the launching had to be postponed to June 6 due to a myriad of issues relating to venues for various shows. Executive Director of the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF), Kennedy "Boots" Samuel said a series of ongoing meeting have been organized 'to thrash out the ongoing logistics and other matters relating to Carnival 2010."
All major Carnival activities including the Power Soca Monach and the King and Queen of the Bands competition have been held at that park for more than a decade. Carnival organisers have also expressed concern regarding the availability of a suitable venue to stage major carnival events like calypso and soca competition.
According to Montoute, the government had invested $700,000 to upgrade the facility and wanted to protect their investment from the damage usually caused by carnival. Press secretary Darnley Lebourne says government representatives are looking forward to meeting with a recently appointed task force to come up with an alternative yet suitable venue to host the carnival shows. He added that the government is fully committed to support the growth and development of St. Lucia's carnival heritage. Carnival is Saint Lucia's premiere cultutal showcase.
Samuel said that the most likely alternative for the launch is Pigeon Island National Landmark. The setting, he said, creates an appropriat backdrop for the cultural event despite concerns from many who think that the true carnival feeling will be lost. - LTD
No comments:
Post a Comment