Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition

The Best Village Story

Our country’s rich social and multi-cultural diversity continues to astonish many and create a sense of pride in its people; this is embodied in The Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition.

Born out of the vision and aspiration to identify and encourage talent from every village and community in the country, the Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition can be labelled as a story of community vision, extra-ordinary talent, exquisite indigenous cuisine, and an experience of the culture of folk tradition. Highlighting the ‘Best Village’ was a way for the country to embrace all its cultures, explore its diversity, and forge a new and independent society that promotes pride and confidence in folk art.

Since 1963, the Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition has evolved into an annual programme, where existing and new talents are presented and showcased to both national and international communities. This event displays the cultural confluence of the people within the context of the indigenous traditions such as Folk Theatre (Drama), Folk Presentations (Song, Music, and Dance), and the Oral traditions (Short Story, Poetry and Spoken Word). The various rounds of the competition occur at the community level and culminate in August, with a grand, final, national event, characterized by a measure of pomp and flair, known to many as ‘Le Grand Z’ Affaire.’

Objectives of the Programme

The objectives of the programme are to:

  • Empower communities;
  • Provide an opportunity for communities to be more conscious about their environment and participate in exercises that will enhance their surroundings and at the same time, develop a sense of self-worth;
  • Encourage a sense of national pride, and community spirit through healthy competition and social interactions;
  • Encourage the creativity of our peoples in their food and artistic talents;
  • Encourage the retention of the Folk Art and contribute to the development of art in communities. Identify, preserve and record our historical and environmental sites throughout Trinidad and Tobago.

Vision
To champion the integrated village concept in and among communities throughout Trinidad and Tobago.

Mission
To partner with our communities, to identify and satisfy their needs through the provision of gender-sensitive, quality programmes and services, thereby achieving improvement in their standard of living whilst encouraging retention of their traditions.