COREY CONNELLY
HOMAGE: Paying Tribute to All Ah We and All Ah Who Awwe Be.
That’s the theme of the 36th edition of the Tobago Heritage Festival, which, for the first time, features several pre-events outside of the substantive village presentations in July.
The festival, Tobago’s signature cultural showcase, begins in earnest from July 21 at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex and runs until Emancipation Day on August 1.
The opening gala will be a departure from the norm. Over the years, it featured a theatrical production, incorporating various elements of the island’s heritage.
But this year’s opening night will include the Miss Tobago Heritage Personality and Heritage Calypso Monarch competitions.
[caption id="attachment_1020297" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Pembroke contestant Leighanne Charles was crowned Miss Tobago Heritage Personality by Secretary of Culture Tashia Burris. The contest will take place on the opening night of the Tobago Heritiage Festival. Screening of contestants begins on June 17File Photo/David Reid -[/caption]
Auditions for the calypso competition are being held on June 24 at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex between 9 am-2 pm. Among other criteria, contenders must have an original calypso which should reflect the heritage theme, Homage. They must also walk with their own musical track.
Young women interested in participating in the Miss Heritage Personality show must be between ages of 18-40. They must be able to showcase a talent presentation in dance, drama, song or instrumental of no more than two minutes. Participants must also submit a short video (no longer than two minutes) saying why they should be chosen for this year’s Miss Heritage Personality. Screening takes place at the complex on June 17.
Regarding village presentations, Plymouth hosts its J’Ouvert and old-time Carnival on July 22 and on July 24, it’s off to Charlotteville for Natural Treasures Day.
The Yam Festival, Ole Time Village Market Experience and Junior Miss & Little Miss Heritage competition takes place in Goodwood on July 25.
A day later, the action shifts to Tobago’s cultural capital, Pembroke, for its ancestral ritual, Salaka Feast. This will be followed by Les Coteaux’s eagerly-anticipated Folk Tales and Superstition and Scarborough’s Rum Shop Lime on July 27 and 28 respectively.
The popular Moriah Ole Time Wedding will be held on July 29 and Speyside’s Tobago Harvest Experience on July 30. Black Rock hosts a Sea and Pan Festival on July 31.
The festival ends with an Emancipation Day procession in Crown Point on August 1.
[caption id="attachment_1020298" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The popular Moriah Ole Time Wedding will be held on July 29.File Photo/David Reid -[/caption]
Reflecting on the festival’s theme, Homage, Jesse Taylor, cultural officer II, Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation, told Newsday, “It shows an island that is still linked to its customs and traditions and the attempts that are being made to preserve it.”
So, he said, the festiva
