Government emphasises its support for carnival

Thursday, May 6, 2010 – The government of Saint Lucia says it is fully committed to supporting the growth and development of Saint Lucia’s carnival heritage, amidst recent concerns expressed by carnival organisers relating to government’s involvement in the staging of carnival this year.

But, press secretary Darnley Lebourne says the administration of prime minister Honourable Stephenson King will support the hosting of carnival 2010.

“Carnival is definitely going to happen. Government has a firm commitment to carnival, cultural expressions and the development of cultural industries in Saint Lucia and the commitment with respect to the staging of carnival 2010 is certainly very firm.”

Carnival organisers have also expressed concern regarding the availability of a suitable venue to stage major carnival events like the calypso and soca competitions.

The Mindoo Philip Park which—the traditional host venue—will not be used for the staging of major carnival events this year, according to the island's sports minister, Honourable Lenard Montoute.

But the press secretary says government representatives are looking forward to meeting with a recently appointed carnival task force to come up with an alternative yet suitable venue to host the carnival shows.

“No doubt the question of a venue will be a major factor which will be discussed with the task force. The issue of venue is one that has been dogging us for a number of years and this has a lot to do with the limitations that we face as a small country. We have heard a lot of concern expressed regarding the preservation of sporting venues and government is trying to strike a balance in terms of how it can preserve sporting venues where significant resources have been spent for their upkeep.”

Carnival is Saint Lucia's premier cultural showcase.

Over the past three years government has injected one million dollars into Saint Lucia carnival annually.

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