2023 CARICOM Staff Talent opens to a kaleidoscope of talents
The 2023 staging of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat’s Staff Talent Exhibition opened on Monday, 20 November, to a vibrant display of the talents of staff members at the Georgetown, Guyana, Headquarters.
An annual event reserved for the month of November, this year’s celebration brings into focus the 50th anniversary of CARICOM and is being celebrated under the theme, ‘Caribbean Kaleidoscope, A Vibrant Fusion of Music, Art, and Culture in Celebration of Five Decades‘.
The week-long celebration features a grand exhibition of paintings, craft, horticulture, multi-media, and collectibles. This segues into a How-To show in which staff demonstrate useful skills ranging from setting tables to making cocktails.
One of the high points of the celebration is a culinary exhibition which sees a full display and enjoyment of the foods of the Caribbean Community. This year features a Coconut Festival to signify the omnipresent nature of the fruit across the Region, used in myriad ways from foods to cosmetics.
The Performing Arts and Fashion Show segments, followed by a Games and Karaoke Night, round off the week’s activities.
Staff from the Jamaica and Barbados offices of the Secretariat usually join in the fun remotely and mount their own displays which they share with Georgetown through photos and videos.
CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett, opened the celebrations urging staff members to continue to develop all aspects of their beings. Giving a historical perspective, she said when the event began in 2002, it was about taking stock as an organisation that “if we were not careful, we would become so engrossed in the work, and moving from meeting to meeting, that we forget other aspects of our being.”
Observing the array of talents at the Secretariat, she said “those are the things that keep us grounded when our work becomes overwhelming.”
Dr. Barnett plugged for full participation in the week-long activity saying, “let us get together at the games, at the cultural presentation in supporting one another…I encourage everyone to continue to do what you love to do all the time.”
President of the Staff Association, Mr Timothy Odle spoke at the opening and highlighted the significance of this year’s celebrations as the Community continues to mark 50 years of CARICOM integration.
Leeanna Allen of the CARIFORUM Directorate performed a soulful rendition of Amy Grant’s ‘I will remember you’ in tribute to the late Franzia Edwards, who held the position of Director of the Partnerships and Project Support Department before her sudden passing earlier in the year.
Source: CARICOM TODAY