Culture Minister: October Carnival for Tobago

Tobago will be celebrating Carnival in October. That is the word from Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism Winston “Gypsy” Peters who says the initiative is aimed at boosting tourism. The minister made the announcement during the launch of Carnival celebrations in Chaguanas on Sunday in the car park of Market Square. “After Miami Carnival is finished the place to be is in Tobago,” said Peters, who advised revellers to keep their costumes from the Trinidad celebrations for mas in the sister island. Peters said the promotion of Carnival in Tobago, which would be used as a business initiative to promote T&T, would begin next month.

The minister also spoke about the issue of fully constructed Carnival costumes being imported from abroad. He said he planned to take a note to Cabinet to raise the tariff on fully imported costumes to 2,000 per cent. Peters said young people were being deprived the opportunity for employment and learning mas-making skills because mass-produced costumes were being imported from India and China.

Peters praised the Chaguanas Carnival Committee for having the biggest and best launch in T&T. He said it was time the Government put more revenue into development of culture. Sunday’s event, which attracted large numbers of spectators, began with a street parade of traditional mas characters. A special performance was given by Vernella Alleyne-Toppin, Minister of Tobago Development, who sang along with a minstrel band from Tobago.