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Photo clippings taken from a Aberdare Newspaper promotiong the delegations visit to England. |
Basseterre, St. Kitts (September 08, 2005): A 16-member cultural delegation reportedly made a splash in England during a recent 17-day visit.
The group comprised of members of the Jingle Bells String Band, Okolo Tegremantine Arts Theater, and performers from the leading masquerade troupes on St. Kitts. They were guests of the Welsh non-profit organization ProMo Cymru (which in part encourages young people to engage in cultural entrepreneurship) and were on a mission to promote the Federation as a travel destination and establish cultural relations between the two countries.
One way of doing this was via participation in the Wales carnival celebrations. Activities included facilitating workshops in Drumming and Afro-Caribbean Dance. A touch of St. Kitts-Nevis flare was added in the carnival costume making and several performances at various venues in the lead up to the Aberdare Carnival.
Aberdare has a population of 32,000 and is an industrial town in the county borough of Rhonda Taff in Glamorgan, South Wales.
As a part of the August 17 to September 2 exchange, the group worked closely with the Cancer Research Center the agency that organized the festival. A fund raising effort, which saw the Jingle Bells Band perform on an Aberdare train, reportedly generated a large sum of money to help with cancer research.
Dance Specialist in the Ministry of Culture Lorna Ava Henry said that the Mayor of Aberdare described that event as a welcome treat for the people & He was especially thrilled when the delegation, decked in costumes, danced through the streets and into the market place. The Market Place will never be the same after this cultural display, he proclaimed.
The overwhelmingly positive response of the populace touched the delegation. Some residents were so impressed with the cultural group that they invited them to perform at private parties.
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| Photo clippings taken from a Aberdare Newspaper promotiong the delegations visit to England. |
August 27 was a particularly rewarding day as the group members joined hundreds of costumed persons for a street parade witnessed by thousands. Thunderous applause demonstrated the spectators appreciation for the Kittitian folklore as scores of children chanted to the crowd shout out for St. Kitts.
The Bull portrayed by Elroy Sports Browne was one of the highlights of the parade. The contingent was also joined by the High Commissioner for St. Kitts and Nevis in London, James Williams and his wife. Deputy High Commissioner Jacinth Henry-Martin, a passionate cultural enthusiast, and also participated.
The English tour then took the contingent to Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham where they joined officials of the St. Kitts-Nevis Tourism Office in London at promotional conferences for travel agents and writers. The tour ended with a presentation in London for hundreds of nationals.
This visit was the outcome of close collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture and the Office of the High Commissioner in London as part of the governments overall tourism development thrust.
The Department of Culture thanked ProMo Cymru Ltd. for its many courtesies. Members of the delegation were also applauded for their outstanding and spectacular performances. Gratitude was further extended to employers for allowing their employees the time off to take part in this historic event.
