The gala opening of the Tobago Heritage Festival took place on July 16 at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex. Chairman of the festival, Wendell Berkley, described it as, "coming full circle," since Shaw Park was where the Festival first began and has now returned to location with the newly constructed complex.
Blink-bmobile has been a key contributor to the staging of the festival for over 15 years. "It's always a pleasure to be part of the Tobago Heritage Festival," said Onica Blackman, enterprise marketing and communications manager, TSTT, Tobago Operations in a release.
"Year after year we witness the growth of the festival as visitors come from all over the world to experience the re-enactment of history and to learn more about the rich culture of Tobago," said Blackman. Patrons had the opportunity to complement their Opening Night experience with a chance at the blink-bmobile Wheel of Fortune Game, which saw renowned calypsonian Calypso Rose spinning the wheel.
Among the hundreds to attend the event were Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly Orville London, THA officials and acting Minister of Tobago Development, Winston "Gypsy" Peters.
In her address, Dr Denise Tsoiafatt-Angus, secretary of Community Development and Culture, acknowledged that putting the festival together is no easy feat but strongly recognised the fortitude, vision and strong leadership of the team that was able to transform the space. As he officially declared the festival open, London paid tribute to those who would have contributed the Heritage Festival over the years, such as Cynthia Alfred, Henry James, Rawle "Axeback" Titus and Edward Hernandez.
Using the theme, Community Treasures–Recognition, the opening night production was the third and final part of the trilogy, which spanned 2013 to 2015. Artistic director of the 2015 production and director of Culture, THA, Glenda-Rose Layne, described the Opening Night presentation as "world class," as it married 21st-century technology (LED screens, videography) with traditional art forms of song, dance and drama. A very satisfied Layne, said she saw where the hard work of the cast and crew came to fruition.
The presentation took patrons on a historical journey of Tobago, highlighting prominent features and periods of the past, such as Fort King George and the Light House, the Silk Cotton Tree folktale, the Buccoo Reef and Nylon Pool, the Mystery Tombstone, the Arnos Vale Water Wheel, Hurricane Flora and the Rain Forest.
Layne said, "I wanted patrons to leave with the understanding that we should preserve and cherish what we have. And while we may have differences, we must come to an agreement, in order to move Tobago forward."