(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) More than fifty delegates will witness a soft launch of the Caribbean Community’s flagship cultural exposition – the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) at the Sixteenth Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) which opened on Wednesday 10 October 2007 at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel at 9:00am.

Coordinated by the Interim Festival Directorate (IFD), the regional advisory body to CARICOM, CARIFESTA is envisioned by the COHSOD as “a world-renowned hallmark festival of Caribbean cultural and artistic excellence, that generates economic benefits, unites the Region and excites all the peoples.”

Focusing on youth and culture development under the theme Realizing the Potential of Youth and Culture in the Development of the Community, the Sixteenth COHSOD brings together CARICOM Ministers of Government and directors with responsibility for culture, youth, education and health; delegates from regional youth and culture institutions.

The three-day Meeting will, among other things, examine critically the lessons learnt from the staging of CARIFESTA IX in Trinidad and Tobago in 2006; review progress of the implementation of elements of the new CARIFESTA governance structure introduced in 2004; and explore ways of financing culture and promoting cultural industries in the Caribbean.

In addition, the Council will note and deliberate on strategies to unearth and realise the potential of youth and culture in the development of the Community.

The Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Guyana will on Friday, unveil plans for the staging of the mega festival in 2008. The plans will include the staging of signal events at designated sites, strategies for marketing and publicity; the proposed budget for the festival as well as further implementation of the new CARIFESTA Governance Model.

Elements of this model were incorporated in CARIFESTA IX In 2006, and the IFD, which is the transitional body in the new management structure of CARIFESTA, plans to integrate more elements of this new CARIFESTA model into the 2008 Festival.

The new model is guided by 12 key strategic objectives, which establish new targets, benchmarks and indicators for monitoring the implementation of the festival. The strategic objectives are categorized under three critical success factors: operational excellence, market leadership and stakeholder interest.

The proposed structure establishes a clearly defined governance structure with a festival directorate operating as the executing agency and a board of directors as the strategic policy-making body. The festival directorate will liaise with the host country and the sending countries about programming and event management issues.

The launch of CARIFESTA X will close the curtains on three days of deliberations on the youth and culture agendas in the region on Friday (12 October 2007).

Contact: piu@caricom.org