Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley brought the curtains down on Carifesta XV with a stirring address that blended gratitude, cultural pride, and a bold vision for the future of Caribbean arts and identity.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Prime Minister first offered thanks to God for sparing the festival from the “ravages of nature,” noting her concern about the hurricane season at the end of August and early September. She also expressed heartfelt appreciation to visiting delegations, which included artists and cultural practitioners from across the Caribbean, as well as from Africa, Central, and Latin America.
“This Carifesta was not just about showcasing talent,” she said. “It was about nourishing the soul, affirming our Caribbean civilization, and building a people and a region that can humanize the whole world.”
The Prime Minister highlighted several milestones of the festival, including the successful hosting of the first-ever Carifesta Student Jamboree, which brought together 300 young Caribbean students. To ensure the legacy of their participation, she announced a new competition offering awards of up to $25,000 USD for outstanding literary, musical, and multimedia works inspired by Carifesta XV.
Mottley also revealed that the festival’s popular “Carifesta Village” will be preserved permanently as Carifesta House, a space dedicated to celebrating Caribbean creativity. She linked this decision to a broader cultural development plan anchored in the Codrington Waterford District, which will feature a new performing arts theatre, a redeveloped national stadium, and the Newton Heritage District.
At Newton, she explained, plans are underway for a National Performing Arts Centre, a genealogical research center, and eventually a museum dedicated to the history of slavery and colonialism. “This Carifesta does not stand in isolation,” Mottley declared. “It is about reclaiming our destiny and building a civilization that is firmly ours.”
In addition, she announced that vendors who participated in the Grand Market will be onboarded onto the Caribbean Marketplace e-commerce platform, with Barbados sponsoring their participation for one year. This, she said, will ensure that the creative products displayed during the festival reach not just regional audiences, but global markets.
Reflecting on Barbados’ history with Carifesta—first hosted on the island in 1981—Mottley noted how the festival had elevated local cultural infrastructure, including the creation of the National Cultural Foundation. She said Carifesta XV must similarly inspire the next generation to claim and grow Caribbean civilization.
With emotion in her voice, she recalled the moving displays of African and Caribbean fashion on Broad Street, symbolic of ancestral journeys across the Atlantic. “Four hundred years after the British settled this island, to rise and host this event shows me that the confidence in Barbados, and by extension Caribbean civilization, is well justified.”
As the festival drew to a close, Prime Minister Mottley invited the audience to rise, give thanks, and celebrate the success of Carifesta XV. “This has been an emotional Carifesta,” she said, before leading the crowd in one final call-and-response that echoed across the venue: “Pepé! Hey, Ben!”
Source: ameyawdebrah.com/
