Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition

Opening Remarks

Address Presented by: Dr. the Honourable Nyan Gadsby-Dolly,

Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts

Let me first congratulate all the participants of the Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition 2017 and say a heartfelt thanks for your dedication. After all these months of competing, tonight we will see which community will hold the title of ‘Best Village’ and who will be Miss La Reine Rive. A most worthy and special welcome and heartfelt thanks I must say to Councillor Nadine Stewart-Phillips of the Tobago House of Assembly who ensured that Tobago took part after a long hiatus in Best Village 2017 and that deserves a hearty round of applause. Should I mentioned that she whispered that Ms. La Reine Rive must come from Tobago.

Just eight months ago, we would have gathered right here at the National Academy for the Performing Arts to formally launch the 2017 Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition themed “Re-igniting the Spirit of Community Arts”. I can say to you without a doubt, through the various performances and art forms displayed throughout this competition, that the spirit of the community arts is alive and well. Mrs. Joyce Wong-Song, to whom this year’s Best Village programme was dedicated, would be well pleased.

This year we hosted a logo competition which saw a total of 53 submissions. A panel of judges would have selected the winner who provided three versions of the winning logo from which to choose. We then engaged the Best Village Community to vote on the final logo. This voting was done, I am sure a lot of you can recalled throughout the prelims of the Best Village programme this year.

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the logo competition is Mr. Everard Mc Bain, let’s give him a round of applause. Come 2018, the Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition will be branded with its new logo, selected by you, the Best Village community. It will represent your vision for the competition and what it represents to you the participants. I want to thank you for your participation in the process.

Ladies and gentleman, on its own the Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition could not achieve its success. We need you the participants, the lovers of Best Village who come out to all the shows and support the Best Village artiste. Through the years, this competition has been carried by groups and individuals with passion and unwavering commitment and this evening I say “Thank you”.

To the Best Village Unit of the Ministry, headed by Ms. Gwendolyn Salick, and the Community Development Division, headed by Ms. Susan Corbett, thank you for your dedication and your diligence. You have sustained one of our country’s most impactful and longest-running competitions.

This evening, we are in for a treat. I see the spirit of community arts and competition is alive and well among the audience and we all look forward to the Best Village being given the prize this evening and the crowning of Ms. La Reine Rive. We are in for a treat. Ladies and gentlemen, do enjoy the rest of the programme.