Peeping Tom…Big up Guyana!!!

Sep 01, 2008 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

---

Carifesta X is over. I know there will be those who will only see the negatives that emerged from this event.
However, there can be no denying that the gamble the President of Guyana took, when he decided upon short notice to volunteer Guyana to host this major Caribbean festival, paid off.

Notice was short. Guyana was not slated to host this festival. In fact, all those who are today boasting about Carifesta being the dream of Forbes Burnham need to be reminded that Burnham abandoned that dream a long time ago.

He hosted the first event in 1972 at a time when he was making a pitch for a political union with St. Vincent amongst others, a move which generated grave suspicions within the region, since other leaders recognized that Forbes was an ambitious politician who saw the prospects of becoming Prime Minister of a federated Caribbean.

Between 1972 and his death in 1985, Burnham made no attempt to further Carifesta after it became clear that the regional governments would not be pawns in his ambitious plans, which have now been laid bare by declassified documents.

It therefore took a quick decision by the President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, for Carifesta to return to Guyana after some thirty-six years. And with a shortened period to plan for the event, there were a great deal of demands on the shoulders of the local organizing committee.

Things turned out just fine. Guyana did a heck of a job. Not everything, of course, went according to clockwork, but it is asking too much for that to have happened. We should hold our heads high, because we held our own.  Other than the price tag, there should be no regrets.

The price tag is expected to be astronomical. I do not know how the Government will justify this huge expenditure, but I guess they will argue that there are certain things on which you simply cannot place a price.

Carifesta did not bring thousands to Guyana, as Cricket World Cup did. Many of the vendors that I have spoken to also hinted that it was the locals, rather than the visitors, who were spending the money.

I have spoken to some of the visitors that came, and they were deeply impressed. I have found Caribbean people generally not to be very liberal when it comes to dishing out praises to other countries of the region.

However, I was deeply surprised, in speaking to some of the persons that came to Guyana for CARIFESTA, as to how impressed they were about the way this festival was managed. Many of them had expectations of shoddy treatment.

This was in the main because of the stories that they had digested about Guyana over the years. Some of them were thinking about walking with their own water and food; others were scared about coming because of what they heard about the crime.

The vast majority that came, judging from the interactions that I had, were glad that they came. The impression they had of Guyana was completely different from what they had expected.

They were impressed by the level of infrastructure. They expected blackout, but found that there were lights all around. One lady just loved the tree-lit Main Street Avenue.

Another thought that the lights on the St. George’s Cathedral did not quite make it look spectacular at nights, but when she viewed the edifice in the day time, she was spellbound by its size and grandeur.

I have spoken to others who were deeply impressed by the sort of facilities, including entertainment spots, that Guyana now has. It seems that Guyana did make quite an impact on many persons, and I believe that arising out of CARIFESTA will be a much-improved image of our country.

And now, with “Fine Man” out of the way, the Peeper is receiving calls from persons all over expressing an interest in visiting Guyana. So, all in all, there is a great deal to be pleased about in this Carifesta that we hosted.

Let us not beat up on ourselves about Carifesta. We should give ourselves a pat on the back, because I think we can all take some satisfaction from the way things went.

We, of course, must learn how to market an event the way the ICC and private companies have been able to market the Cricket World Cup. In fairness to the Government, it simply did not have the time to do what needed to be done to make Carifesta a money-spinner.

However, the country has had another experience of hosting a mega-event, and from all indications, the two experiences that we have had so far are good preparation for the third, whatever that should be.
Carifesta has paved the way for future success. Of that I am sure. Big Up Guyana!

By the way, I think Guyana deserves a holiday. How about declaring today a holiday, President Jagdeo?

---

---