The Improvement Financial institution of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) has permitted a grant of BBD 450,000 (USD 225,000) to help cultural tourism and the artistic economic system as Barbados prepares to host CARIFESTA XV, the Caribbean’s premier multidisciplinary arts competition.
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The letter of award was signed Monday on the CARIFESTA Secretariat by Senator Dr. The Honourable Shantal Munro-Knight, Minister within the Prime Minister’s Workplace with duty for tradition, and Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy, CAF’s Regional Supervisor for the Caribbean and consultant in Barbados.
CARIFESTA, returning after a six-year hiatus as a result of COVID-19, brings collectively artists, performers, and delegations from throughout the area to showcase the richness and variety of Caribbean tradition. The 2025 version, themed “Caribbean Roots. World Excellence,” will spotlight the area’s artistic industries, that are key contributors to financial progress and regional integration.
The CAF grant will help the promotion of Caribbean cultural expressions in meals, style, music, dance, visible arts, and literature, whereas additionally facilitating dialogues on growth challenges and alternatives via culture-driven exchanges. CAF may even function the title sponsor for “Large Conversations,” a brand new CARIFESTA initiative that addresses subjects of Caribbean identification, resilience, and sustainability.
“Tradition and the various types of cultural expression are on the coronary heart of Caribbean identification. In addition they characterize necessary drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship,” stated Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy. “By supporting this regional competition, CAF is demonstrating its continued dedication to working with our shareholder nations to strengthen the artistic industries as drivers of sustainable financial progress.”
In Barbados, CAF has beforehand funded cultural and heritage tourism initiatives, together with initiatives beneath the Reclaiming Our Atlantic Future (ROAD) Programme, which goals to strengthen connections to historical past and cultural belongings.
Dr. Munro-Knight expressed her gratitude for CAF’s help: “CARIFESTA is a testomony to the expertise and creativity of our individuals. This technical help grant is not going to solely assist Barbados ship an distinctive CARIFESTA XV, however it would additionally create alternatives for these within the artistic sector to attach with new audiences, faucet into elevated enterprise alternatives, and contribute to financial growth in our nations and the broader area.”
CARIFESTA XV is scheduled to be a ten-day competition, anticipated to draw 1000’s of holiday makers and contributors from throughout the Caribbean and past.
