London has ‘mixed feelings’ about Heritage Festival

Expressing “mixed feelings” about the Heritage Festival currently in progress at venues throughout the island, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Orville London has lamented that some presentations fell well below expectations. He made the frank disclosure during yesterday’s weekly post-Executive Council meeting press briefing at the THA Administrative Complex.

London said: “I’ll be very honest with you; I have mixed feelings about the Heritage Festival,” he told reporters. “I think the productions that I saw, they varied in quality. There were some excellent productions, and I mean the kind of productions which you could market to visitors from anywhere in the world. However, there were productions that, if we are to be honest with ourselves, fell below expectations,” the THA Chief Secretary declared. “And there is a need for more consistency in our level of productions throughout all the communities.” London stressed that we have to face the truth. “It doesn’t make sense for us to bury our heads in the sand where this is concerned. Even though it is our local culture, there are certain standards that we must maintain,” he asserted. He acknowledged that there were some productions that were so good that you actually “feel your head raise,” but then again there are others where “we have to do some homework.” London called for more work between the festivals to address the question of sub-standard productions on stage in the island’s annual premier cultural showcase.