NIA Charlestown Nevis (July 22, 2014) – Premier of Nevis Hon. Vance Amory encouraged Nevisians and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis to value and appreciate the Culturama celebrations and to see the activities as an avenue to revitalise the Nevisian Culture.

 

 

Mr. Amory was at the time delivering remarks at the Premier’s cocktail for the 2014 Culturama contestants at the Nevis Performing Arts Centre (NEPAC) on July 16, 2014. He urged Nevisians to be proud of their culture and also commended the participants for keeping the island’s culture alive through their participation.

 

 

“My feel about Culturama, having been involved for most of the 40 years from 1974, is this it is something which all of us in this country need to be proud of and our simple duty is to feel good about ourselves and make those things which we have inherited, our heritage, make ourselves recognize who we are and that we ought to be proud of it.

 

 

“As we are celebrating this 40th anniversary. We’ve come a long way from the early years…I want as we are here tonight, to honour the queens and the calypsonians and the young people who are going to participate with us that we encourage them, we talk to them and encourage them because I am telling you, based on what I have known about assisting with the preparations of queens over the years, that is not an easy task…

 

 

“I want you to encourage them and to show them that we appreciate the work that they do, to ensure that our culture is carried out and participated in every year and that will showcase it to the world.

 

 

Meantime, Deputy Premier and Minister of Culture in the Nevis Island Administration Hon. Mark Brantley, commended the Nevis Culturama Committee for their continued efforts in hosting the Culturama 40 celebrations and encouraged the public to participate in the activities.

 

 

“This year our Culturama is twined with our first homecoming celebration and we will be having Culturama dispersed throughout the community…I believe this is indeed an auspicious start to what I hope to be a fantastic festival. We have sought to pay attention to the detail, we have sought to cover our bases. The committee has been working exceedingly hard led by Ms. Deborah Tyrell and of course Mr. Abonaty Liburd as our Director.

 

 

“The idea behind this year is that all of us who are here, all of us who are coming to visit will have something to do and that people will have activities spread throughout the various communities on the island. This is our culture…and I want all of you to have a wonderful time, a safe time… This is our festival and it is what we make of it,” he said.

 

 

Also present at the brief ceremony were Executive Director of the Culturama Secretariat, Antonio ‘Abonaty’ Liburd and Chairperson of the Culturama 40 Central Committee Deborah Tyrell.