Opening Remarks by Sean Taylor on Monday 19th August  at AlphaMax CARIFESTA presentation

On behalf of the AlphaMax and the 14 other participating organizations:

The Soefi Beweging Suriname, Trinity Meditation Group Suriname, Kendrum Music Academy, Fiti Fu Wini, Kristaroma, Brahma Kumaris WSO,

Art of Living, Pikin Sranan, Kristaroma, Sri Sathya Sai Baba Suriname, Pandama Retreat, Smart Productions, Yoga Niketan, and Indian Cultural Center,

I’m extremely delighted to welcome you to the Monday Opening of “Awakening the Spirit of Carifesta”.

Suriname is a blessed nation! And we are truly fortunate to be afforded these facilities to be able to be part of the Carifesta XI activities. Indeed we’re convinced that this country is a special place – and it is tasked with the special duty to give a renewed impetus to this festival of the arts and culture.

We chose as our theme “Awakening the Spirit of Carifesta” in order to IGNITE a richer perspective of this unique event that brings together people from across the Caribbean and Latin America.

We chose this theme in order to re-light that special flame that burned bright in 1972 when the festival was first held in the cooperative republic of Guyana.

There were several rich sparks that were ignited as a result of the flame that was burning in those rich times of the early 1970s. Several of us can vividly recall some of those sparks:

* A city of 250 greenheart houses went up to house those in attendance from across the region

* People on the mainland started to contemplate seriously taking possession of our interior rather than leaving it to be plundered by people lusting after our minerals elsewhere

* Great artists came to our region for the first time – these included Louis Armstrong! Ravi Shankar, the great sitarist, performed in the school where I was a student – I saw him with my own eyes and was deeply inspired by them.

* The great American-Haitian choreographer Luvenie Williams was on the artistic landscape – so was Geraldo Lastra! They started national dance schools in which then fanned out over the region after their students were scattered abroad

* Highly respected poets and writers from across the region were there as well: these included our own Dobru from Suriname …

* Guyana even saw her first Chinese president – Arthur Chung!

* These were rich times – they spoke loudly of our dearest aspiration: TO BE ONE PEOPLE, TO TRANSCEND OUR BOUNDARIES AND BECOME ONE NATION, AND TO BOLDLY PURSUE OUR GOD-GIVEN DESTINIES OF PEACE, HAPPINESS AND WELLBEING – not just for ourselves but for future generations.

* Many people do not know that it was in this rich window that the Transcendental Meditation movement in the region began; and the same goes for the Brahma Kumaris organization that also started their regional missions from Guyana around that time!

* Trust me, the manifestations that we’re witnessing in Suriname attest to the fact that ALL these aspirations are strongly alive and vibrantly well in this nation, and among our peoples in the region!

Ladies and gentlemen, we’re privileged today to have in our midst 3 persons who were actively present in that first unforgettable 1972 Carifesta. Two of them are artists who will perform this evening at our Carifesta concert. Those three persons are: Milton Drepaul, an original member of the National History & Arts Council that planned those activities in 1972 under the leadership of Forbes Burnham in Guyana; Mr Kenton Wyatt, musicologist, drummer, pan-master, and folklorist; and Mr Julio Thijs, actor, presenter, stilt-dancer, and circus artist!

I am therefore honoured now to invite the key initiative leaders of this unique event: Mr Hanz Malmberg of the Trinity Meditation Group, Mr Antonius of the Soefi Beweging Suriname – to join with the three gentlemen who were there at Carifesta 1972 to come forward and symbolically make ONE fist: In this one hand, Spirituality is united with artistic endeavor and cultural expression for our peoples across the region!

Cut the ribbon gentlemen and let’s begin this RE-AWAKENING OF THE SPIRIT OF CARIFESTA!