BY JULIE CARRINGTON | MAR 22, 2023
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight addressing the audience at “An Evening With The Poet Laureate Esther Phillips”. (B.Hinds/BGIS)
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight, is pleased with the “explosion” of culture and arts activities in the first quarter of this year.
Addressing the gathering at “An Evening With The Poet Laureate” Esther Phillips, on the grounds at Ilaro Court recently, Minister Munro-Knight said the increased interest in arts and culture demonstrated the “resilience of our creatives in a most beautiful and passionate way”.
Giving a synopsis of the events held so far, the Minister pointed to the National Cultural Foundation’s exhibition featuring three artists at the National Art Gallery in Queen’s Park, the Independent Film Festival, the just concluded Caribbean Fine Arts Festival, the staging of the Bridgetown Arts Festival, and the launch of the Season of Emancipation earlier this month, as evidence of increased cultural activity in the island.
Apart from cultural events, Senator Munro-Knight also mentioned the workshops and training sessions for creatives to enhance their craft.
She noted: “There’s a vibrancy in the air that is happening in relation to culture. There’s a mood in the air; there’s a shift, and that shift is saying to us two things. One, there’s an appetite in this country for arts, and people from all walks of life are…taking in what our creatives have to offer. The second thing is that we do not value [culture] and that value is demonstrated in the power for social cohesion…which culture builds.” Dr. Munro-Knight stated that the Divison of Culture was happy to commence the series of arts limes throughout the year to give Barbadians an opportunity to sit with friends and to promote the value for arts and culture via exposure to the work of cultural practitioners.
