By: St. Clair Sazam Hull
Nevispages.com
(CHARLESTOWN NEVIS)- The Nevis Culturama Committee conducted a ceremony in the Cotton Ginery Mall on the afternoon of Thursday, March 13, 2014, under its theme, ‘Revelry! Splendor! Creativity! It’s Culturama 40!’
Chairperson of the event, Mr. Antonio ‘Abonaty’ Liburd gave the opening remarks. He noted that the event was to launch the calendar of activities for Culturama 40 and to introduce the distinguished patron, Mr. Tyrone O’Flaherty.
Mr. Liburd also lauded the continuous effort that LIME has made and continues to make, as the major sponsor of Culturama. He stated, “LIME has been with us for twenty five years and counting and that is a remarkable achievement for any corporate sponsor in our twin island federation of St. Kitts and Nevis”.
Mr. Liburd also claimed that Culturama 40 will be the biggest event ever to be staged on Nevis. He said this year they will be having their first ever homecoming celebration and they are appealing to Nevisians in the Diaspora to come to Nevis and reconnect with their families and friends. He indicated that persons should make every effort to witness firsthand the major developments that have taken place in Nevis since they departed.
Mrs. Deborah Tyrell, who has been given the mantle to oversee the affairs of Culturama 40 as the Chairperson of the Culturama Committee also gave some remarks. She stated that we are just one hundred and forty (140) days away from the mega weekend for our 40th anniversary.
Mrs. Tyrell expressed heartfelt gratitude, to all those who are working tirelessly to ensure the success of Culturama 40. She noted that since she came on board as committee chairperson, they have conducted several meetings and shared countless ideas to make this year’s festival special.
She also indicated that for this year’s Calypso Monarch, we can expect all the old rivalries to be reignited. In closing, Mrs. Tyrell indicated that the 40th anniversary for any event is a major milestone and the committee has every intention to make this one memorable.
Minister responsible for Culture, Hon. Mark Brantley also gave some brief remarks and introduced the patron Mr.Tyrone O’Flaherty.
Mr. Brantley told those in attendance that ‘Culturama 39’ was crime free and he was looking forward to working diligently once again with the Police to repeat what happened last year. Mr. Brantley also urged Nevisians who are living abroad to return home for this upcoming festival. He stated, “I recalled going to England recently and I was in Leeds and so many people told me that their grandparents are from Nevis but they’ve never been to Nevis, This is the ideal opportunity to come back and rekindle with your families”.
The Minister also noted that it gave him immense pleasure to introduce the patron. He claimed that they had many suggestions and even more ideas, but at the end of the day only one person really stood out in terms of the consideration that was applied. Whilst Mr. Brantley spoke, the crowd buzzed with excitement and anticipation as to who the person was. When the Minister mentioned the name, Tyrone O’Flaherty, everyone applauded a man whose contribution to Culturama may be second to none. Mr. O’Flaherty bowed to the audience and showed appreciation to their applause.
In his brief remarks, the patron told the gathering that he was delighted to have been selected to be the patron for the 40th anniversary of Culturama. He said 40 years have passed and he has been involved in every single year in one capacity or the other. Mr. O’Flaherty noted that he was humbled by the honour and that he owes a debt of gratitude to this tiny but exceptional island we called Nevis. The patron also stated, that his involvement in Culturama will continue until the day he takes his last breath.
Many surprises emerged at the significant ceremony. The order of events over the years has now changed for Culturama 40. This year the Queen Show that was usually held on Sunday night will now be on a Friday night of the big C40 weekend. The band clash will now be held on Saturday as opposed to the usual Friday and the calypso show has been transferred from its usual Saturday night time slot, to Sunday night.
Following is the full calendar of events for Culturama 40:
OFFICIAL CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
Thurs. July 24th 05:30 pm GRAND LAUNCH OF CULTURAMA 40
08:00 pm Cultural Presentation (USVI Quadrille Dancers)
Fri. July 25th 08:00 pm Culturama 40 Senior Kaiso Semi Finals Contest
Sat. July 26th 10:00 am Empire Sports Club Aquatic Extravaganza
08:00 pm C40 St. Kitts Vs Nevis T20 Cricket Fiesta
10:00 pm KORE Entertainment All Inclusive Fete
Sun. July 27th 01:00 pm Culturama 40 Drag Racing Meet
06:00 pm Culturama 40 Mr. and Ms. Talented Youth Pageant and Junior Kaiso Contest
Mon. July 28th 12:00 noon Poets in the Square
08:00 pm Musical Cornucopia –A NEPAC Production
Tues. July 29th HOME COMING DAY
All Day Home Coming Celebration
12:00 noon Poets in the Square
08:00 pm C40 Anniversary Ball
Wed. July 30th 12:00 noon Poets in the Square
08:00 pm Culturama 40 Ms Culture Swimwear and Mr Kool Contests
Thurs. July 31st 12:00 noon Poets in the Square
02:00 pm C40 Track and Field Athletic Meet
08:00 pm Tender Care International C40 Freedom Concert
Fri. Aug. 01st 09:00 am Department of Agriculture Fruit Festival
12:00 noon Poets in the Square
08:00 pm Culturama 40 Ms Culture Queen Pageant
Sat. Aug. 02nd SPECTACULAR SATURDAY
07:00 am Culturama 40 Cultural Food Fair
02:00 pm C40/T20 Cricket Match (Returning Nationals Eleven vs. Nevis Masters Eleven)
09:00 pm Culturama 40 King of De Jungle Band Clash
Sun. Aug. 03rd 12:00 noon Culturama 40 Horse Racing
07:59 pm Culturama 40 Senior Kaiso Contest
Mon. Aug. 04th 05:00 am Culturama 40 Emancipation J’ouvert Jump Up
12:00 noon KORE Entertainment Boat Ride
01:00 pm Herbert’s Beach Affair
08:00 pm Ms Caribbean Culture Queen Pageant
Tues. Aug. 05th 01:00 pm Culturama 40 Cultural Street Parade and Last Lap
