Government to provide funding for Caribana 2018

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The government has approved an undisclosed sum of money to go towards the execution of Barbuda’s Caribana.
A scaled-down version of the event will be held from May 9-21. The last day will be observed as Whit Monday.
When asked to provide a figure, Melford Nicholas, information minister, told reporters yesterday that the government would provide “a moderate contribution” to the Barbuda Council.
The minister was also asked to provide a rationale for the monies being spent on a festival rather than for hurricane recovery efforts.
He explained that carnivals, provide a sense of relief to people, especially as it relates to the current situation in Barbuda.
“If the Barbuda Council made a determination [about] Caribana, I think it is going to be important for our all persons, including the donor agencies to understand that it is a natural part of human expression. We don’t see any harm done in giving financial support towards the continuation of the cultural festival,” Nicholas said during the post-cabinet briefing at the prime minister’s office.
According to the government minister, since more than 50 percent of the Barbuda population still reside in Antigua following the devastation of Hurricane Irma last September, it is expected that many residents will travel to Barbuda to enjoy the celebrations in Codrington.
It is also anticipated that many damaged houses will have been re-roofed by the Whit holiday and that visitors will find sufficient homes and other suitable places on Barbuda.
OBSERVER media has not been able to obtain information about the line-up for the Festival this year.
Calls to Yannick Beazer, chairman of the organising committee, went unanswered.
The committee met this week with the Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission plan for the festival.

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