Gadsby-Dolly: Sando is culture capital

“That’s ok as all is fair is love and war, especially when it comes to culture. Because it is a war meant to see who can do better,” she said, adding that her ministry fully supports this secondary school competition festival as it promotes the youths in art and culture of TT.

She went on to say that we face difficult time in world today and TT is not exempted from that.

“Being involved in culture gives us that gravitas that allows us to be resilient and helps us to overcome times when we can get depressed,” she said, noting that Sanfest helps the participating students to excel in the arts and this brings promise of greater things to come in the future. Dr Gadby Dolly made the trip to south on Saturday evening to opened the 2017 NGC’s Sanfest competition at the council on Circular Road, San Fernando. Director of Sanfest 2017, Avion Crooks said that Sanfest is celebrating its 47 years and the initial objective remains to present a forum for the many cultural groups and individual performers to showcase their talents in a safe and nurturing environment. “While competition is inherent in the human spirit, the ideal of Sanfest was to introduce a stage where southerners could perform our traditional dances, stories of our heritage, skills in recitation and various musical abilities in an entertaining and collegial environment,” she said. She noted that the council forms a financial partnership with the National Gas Company of TT in 2003, and the their involvement with the festival has grown from strength to strength. “NGC has done and continues to do, what we believe all business organisations should do – invest in the greatest resource of our country, our youth, in a tangible and sustainable way,” she said.

Each year from September to November, she says, the council witnesses the coming together of excited, anxious, passionate and often perspiring people, bringing the product of hours of training and rehearsal to a stage that I hope is warmly accepting and nurturing. This year Sanfest pays tribute to Calypso Rose, (Linda McArtha Monica Sandy- Lewis) by having her music form the body of work featured in our pan competition.

This year the council honours Torrence Mohammed whom is a recipient of the Medal of Merit in 1976. Mohammed has worked steadfastly in areas such as Best Village, in theatre and drama, in Carifesta. He served the community of San Fernando as a Deputy Mayor and he is a former chairman of the San Fernando Arts Council and the National Dance Association.

Crooks mentioned the Mr and Miss Sanfest which offer opportunities for overall growth and development of students in the performing arts. “Students must be concerned with building elaborate portfolios showing their involvement with activities other than academics,” Crooks said, adding that they at the council have long come to understand that holistic education builds a better world citizen and a more socially adaptive person.

Employers, she says are interested now in an employee’s understanding of fair play, competition, beauty in design, team work and passion. This , she noted is difficult to teach in the classroom but that is the foundation of the festival.