Enhancing the Heritage

THE 21-DAY Tobago Heritage Festival is a unique and fascinating event in the life of the Sister Isle and may well be a rare folk celebration as far as the rest of the world is concerned. We know of no other cultural event in any other island or country where different villages present dramatic re-enactments of the peculiar and picturesque customs and practices of the past, offering charming glimpses into the making of an unusual society. In our view, it is a Festival that must be preserved, indeed enhanced, since, being more than just a "spectacle" such as carnival, it is an actual and robust retelling of Tobago's social history which has also become the biggest tourist attraction on the island's annual calendar. Within recent years, however, the quality of the Festival has suffered somewhat from its ritual nature and the fact that it is purely a folk presentation, produced exclusively by the island's various villages without any kind of professional help from outside. While for the most part this ensures that the Festival is embued with the spirit and enthusiasm of Tobagonians, it also has the weakness of presentation by rote, with some acts becoming mechanical, without the benefit of studied preparation or innovative freshness.

This, we think, is what THA Chief Secretary Orville London was referring to when he expressed "mixed feelings" about the current Festival, lamenting the fact that some presentations had fallen well below expectations. Speaking to a press briefing last week, Mr London observed that the productions varied in quality. "There were some excellent productions," he noted, "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 saw the need for greater consistency in the level of productions from all the communities. "Even though it is our local culture, there are certain standards that we must maintain." Mr London's candid criticism is, obviously, well meaning. It is intended to be constructive and we expect that Tobgonians to whom it applies, instead of taking it amiss, will appreciate its truth and take his advice to "do some homework" in preparing for next year's Festival. While Tobagonians, a proud and culturally self-reliant people, may not want outsiders interfering in their heritage celebrations, we believe that the time has come to put the Festival on a more organised, co-ordinated and professional footing. At the very least, they could take some tips from the presentation of Trinidad's Carnival, the preparations for which begin several months before the actual date of the big event.

Also, where each mas' band has a leader assisted by a group of experienced and skilled workers, each village should have a planning committee which would be responsible for the creative, dramatic and organisational aspects of its production. Such committees should not find it difficult, in fact, to seek technical advice from our country's leading artists and theatrical personages so that, instead of ritual presentations without preparation, they would be able to "do their homework" and produce their various acts with some degree of professionalism and creativity. The Tobago Heritage Festival has the potential of becoming an entertaining and culturally enlightening event not only for tourists visiting Tobago but also for Trinidadians vacationing at home in July. This year's event ends on Saturday August 2 with Buccoo Day featuring aspects of the culture of this scenic part of Tobago, including goat racing on the beach. This closing competition usually attracts a crowd of Trinis but the entire Festival could be a bigger crowd puller if the villages take Mr London's advice to heart.