Two Regional Cultural Meetings in Trinidad

Following the hectic carnival season of 2019, the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts will oversee another significant undertaking in the region’s cultural agenda. This week the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre will host the 17th Interim Festival Directorate (IFD) Meeting from, Monday 25th March to Tuesday 26th March, which will feed into the 27th Regional Cultural Committee (RCC) Meeting from Wednesday 27th to Friday 29th March, 2019.

The 17th Interim Festival Directorate (IFD) Meeting – March 25th and 26th 2019

The Interim Festival Directorate (IFD) is a forum that co-manages CARIFESTA along with CARICOM, the RCC and the Host Country. The IFD is the principle vehicle for transferring knowledge and best practices among past, current, and future CARIFESTA host countries in an effort to stimulate innovative approaches to regional cultural events. The IFD Meeting, currently taking place in Trinidad, consists of a working group reporting on valuable lessons to inform the planning and implementation of CARIFESTA XIV from August 16th to 25th, 2019. This will include site visits today, Tuesday 26th March 2019, to the various Festival venues across the country.

The participants of the IFD Meeting include: Dr. Hilary Brown- Programme Manager for Culture of the CARICOM Secretariat, Riane de Haas-Bledoeg- Deputy Programme Manager for Culture of the CARICOM Secretariat, Leela Ramoutar- Festival Support Officer of CARICOM, Anna Lisa Jones-Reis and Jascene Dunkley-Malcom-Support Officers of CARICOM, Andre Wells- Chief Cultural Officer of the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados, Vaughn Walter- Director of Culture of the Ministry of Sports, Culture, National Festivals and Arts of Antigua and Barbuda (CARIFESTA XV Host Country), Ayanna Lewis of the Association of Caribbean Copyright Societies, Ian Randle- Founding President of the Caribbean Publishers Network, Lori Weatherhead- Administrative Officer of the Caribbean Media Corporation, Musa Abdul Shaheed- Youth Artist from Belize, Sonja Francis- Services Specialist of the Caribbean Export Agency, Philippe Dodard- Master Artist from Haiti, members of CARIFESTA’s Host Country Management Committee, and from the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts Ms. Susan Shurland- Deputy Permanent Secretary and Mr. Tej Ramlogan, Director of Culture.

The outcome of this meeting will be reported at the Regional Cultural Committee Meeting, which commences on Wednesday March 27th, 2019.

The 27th Regional Cultural Committee (RCC) Meeting- March 27th- 29th 2019

The Opening of the RCC will take place on Wednesday 27th March 2109, with Dr. the Honourable Nyan Gadsby-Dolly delivering remarks on behalf of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Attendees to the RCC meeting will include representatives of the relevant Culture Ministries of CARICOM States, the Caribbean Export Development Agency, Caribbean Development Bank, CARICOM, and other regional cultural stakeholders.

The RCC Meeting provides a broader platform for CARICOM cultural stakeholders to discuss pertinent matters to the region’s development of culture; in particular the hosting of CARIFESTA XIV, in Trinidad and Tobago.