$4.5M for Tobago Heritage

This year’s Tobago Heritage Festival has been estimated at TT$4.5 Million of which $3.5 million will come from the Tobago House of Assembly while the rest is expected to be sourced through sponsorship.

According to the PRO of the Tobago Heritage Festival Committee, Rennison Quashie, most of the “die hard” sponsors have already pledged their support while the new ones are still looking at ways their contributions will best be invested.

Occupants of Scarborough were given a treat Friday when the 20th edition of the annual festival, which was aptly titled “Two Decades and More Beautiful”, was officially launched with a street parade of colourful excerpts of the various village productions.

Despite getting off to a late start, the parade appeared to be more flambouyant than the last with particpation by both the young and old.

Eleven villages have been given the nod to participate in the two-week long event which runs from July 14 to August 1 and has been promised to be extra special and of a higher quality in terms of stage performance and management. Other interested villages can participate in some of the productions such as the Ms Heritage Personality competition, Folk Fiesta and the Plymouth Ole Time Carnival productions.

The Heritage Festival committee has also promised that all efforts have been made to eliminate the element of repitition in the productions and has sourced professional tutoring from some of the country’s most experienced cultural activists to assist the participants.

A Heritage Calypso Monarch competition and a Pan Festival night are the two newest additions to the Heritage calendar while the committee has promised to look at ways of including the other villages that may be interested in taking part in the Festival from next year.

Although the opening gala on July 14 has been carded to take place at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex that is currently under renovations, THA Secretary for Community Development and Culture, Cynthia Alfred has advised that the decison on the venue has not been concreted as it is not certain whether it will be completed in time for the show.

She however assured that there were many other alternative venues.

The Tobago Heritage Festival is expected to be launched in Port-of-Spain on June 7 or 8.