Carifesta: who is it for?

As mentioned in my last blog, I was all hyped up to be part of Carifesta like many other locals in Suriname. In the last 3 days, I went to several Carifesta happenings and started thinking who the target visitor was actually meant to be. Does the organization have an idea, who they actually want to attract?

Probably it is because of the great promotions about Carifesta that created a huge expectation on my side that this Carifesta will be on international standards and make me proud to be part of it. Unfortunately I had been disappointed time after time in the past 3 days. Or maybe I just chose for the wrong activities to attend?

Here is a summary of the several Carifesta activities I attend and my experience:

1. Openings Ceremony
This is one of the activities, who nearly whole Suriname got stirred up for. First of all, none of the media outlets ever mentioned about needing to sign up or buy entrée tickets to this event until several hours before show starts. Next to that, only 7000-8000 tickets were available in total to the 500k locals and the many foreign visitors for this event. So even though I did not have the ticket, I still gave it a shot to embrace the ambiance. Both sides of the Independence Square got closed in by a fence and from outside, there is nothing going on. Heard no music, no movement and no projector screens near the fences to accommodate the crowd that could be expected outside the fence. I even went to several places, where supposedly should be somewhat livelier, but the whole nightlife area seemed dead. After the happening, there were many appraisals about the light and laser show, which I'd missed.

2. Grand Central Market

According to the social media, the KKF area would become the GCM, where the participating countries will showcase their art, fashion and culinary. I went there with high hopes of tasting all kinds of Caribbean goodies. Even there, I got disappointed. The foodie area was scarcely occupied and some countries just did not show up since they heard they could have their stand in the Palm Garden. Probably I was too early for most of the activities (I was there around 6-7pm). There was a fashion show going on, a dance performance was on stage and however I went there for the food, the art was the part that made my while. The various artistic expressions on canvas transformed the hall into an art gallery. One of the art pieces was a life size 'human' made from pieces of cloth. It really reminded me of the  snowman prank on youtube and gave me the idea that any moment it would move.

3. Sana Budaya Cocktail
My expectations of the Sana Budaya Cocktail is first, a great showcase of the Javanese culture, and second a variety of cocktails. But to my astonishment, when I arrived at the location, it is full of people, but nothing seems to be going on than an explanation of a cultural happening. In total there were 3 stands and the stage was empty. One of the stands sold cocktails and I counted only 3-4 choices. So probably like GCM I was way too early too. I was there around 5-6 pm. I expected a mini version of the Indo Fair, but was unpleasantly surprised with the reality.


Next to it all, I also went to the Palm Garden and visited the Independence Square. The lights and sound were amazing. I don't know how Youth Village would look like, but I can only imagine how awesome it would be having DJ Chuckie mixing it up at the Presidential Palace. It's like having our own Surinamese version of Tomorrowland and call it 'Tamara Kondre'. It would be the party of the year!



However, it seems that I had only unpleasant experiences, I don't give up on the idea of Carifesta. But then I wondered, if all this were supposedly in place for tourist, how did they experience it and did it meet their expectations? And if it is organized to attract foreigners, isn't this period a bad timing? Most schools in the region has already started around mid-August. And if it is for locals and a way to spend the school vacation on, why hold it mid-August and not at the end of August? All locals know how broke we are during the 2nd and 3rd week of the month. Wouldn't it be more suitable to hold it in the first week of August or at the end?