By Carlena Knight
A $4.2 million budget has been set for this year’s Carnival celebrations, an increase from the little over $3 million in last year’s allocation.
Minister of Education, Sports and Creative Industries Daryll Matthew made the revelation during his presentation in Parliament yesterday.
“A part of those funds will be used to give the relevant sectors a stimulus so that they can start their Carnival.
“We have come up with a formula with support of the calypsonians and the Calypso Association about how to give them that advance so that they can get in the studio and start the production of their work because their music needs to come out earlier.
“We are currently in discussion with the Pan Association about how we can support them even from now because Panorama and the production of Panorama doesn’t happen overnight.
“There’s a level of advanced work that needs to be done, and so we will be providing them with that stimulus and that advance so that they can start their work,” Matthew said.
The ‘Caribbean’s greatest summer festival’ is scheduled to take place from July 27 to August 8 and according to Matthew will be one with a difference.
He explained that in 2019 a plan was drafted in consultation with officials from the Festivals Commission to recreate a Carnival product that truly differentiates Antigua and Barbuda’s festival from others around the region.
One of those avenues, Matthew identified, is through mas’.
The Department of Culture alongside world renowned mas’ designer Chandy Lewis will work with the schools in creating their own costumes.
This, Matthew emphasised, will not only help to keep the artform of creating costumes alive but will also help to cut down on unscrupulous activities that occurred in the past where some designers were taking subsidies without producing sufficient costumes.
“If it is we are going to have Junior Carnival and have costume production in schools, there must be some buy-in first of all from the school, the students and the parents but there must be some reciprocated level of responsibility to produce a good product, and so we have now started to engage some of our mas’ troupes who already produce costumes and who may have an interest in having a junior section that we will support financially through the same subsidy.
“So, it is not costing anything more; it is simply a redirection of how we do the funding to ensure that our youngsters can participate in Carnival in a sensible and meaningful way.
“And what will happen is that these mas’ troupes will be mandated to go into the schools and work with the various departments, whether it is the textiles or craft and arts departments, to start building some of the costumes as well within the sector because the art of costume building is quickly becoming a lost art,” Matthew explained.
He said the launch of this year’s festivities will also take on a new format.
“The launch will happen at Rising Sun Grounds and there will be a full theatric production that will be put together by our Department of Culture that will carry a particular theme.
“So, when you come to that launch on that particular day, your children are playing on the bounce castle, we have our sponsors station set up, our mas’ troupes have areas where they can sell and display their product.
“On the stage, there will be a full theatrical presentation that will incorporate our dancers, our singers, our mas’ troupes, some of our artistes to give a full comprehensive overview of what we have here in Antigua and Barbuda,” he added.
A full line-up of the Carnival schedule is expected to be announced at a later date.
And while much of the focus is being placed on Carnival, Matthew also touched on Independence 2023 festivities for which a $1.3 million budgetary allocation was made – an increase from last year’s $767,000.
