![]() Performances were also done in song by a St. Their transition to Haitian music from instrumentals was so expertly done, it brought the crowd to its feet. Nevertheless, the show went on, with participating countries finally being given the opportunity to form part of the evening’s programme of events.Ī Haitian dance group, ‘Dance for life’, nailed it with their semi hip-hop, breakdance and acrobatic styles of dancing. Some members of the Guyanese delegation, too, were forced to stand to facilitate Haitians, since the segregation between the locals and the officials had been eroded.įear in the minds of Guyanese had mounted, given that a few members were robbed at the same venue, following the opening ceremony. ![]() They were overheard expressing fear at the situation, which was fast becoming out of control. Three Barbadian women, who were inadvertently left behind, were eventually forced to stand, due to the limited space which was now entirely occupied by locals. Guyana would leave not too long after this. Several minor fights broke out between security personnel and Haitians, with the latter gaining the upper hand, and forcing themselves to sit in places reserved for visiting delegations.Īt this point, several countries, among them 2017’s host country Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda hurriedly exited the compound under the watchful eyes of armed security, and police and protocol officers. Midway through the programme, however, tension escalated when hundreds of Haitians began infiltrating the compound, which was by then bursting at its seams, having already exceeded its seating capacity of 4000 – 5000, and standing room for just 2000. The start of the closing ceremony succeeded in painting a picture of a Haitian cultural show rather than a Caribbean one, since the performances were entirely centered on Haitian culture, via the performing arts. The Guyanese delegation was escorted by heavily-armed security and protocol officers to their seats, a mere arm’s length away from the Barbadian delegation.ĬIMO officers, as members of Haiti’s Special Forces are called, acted as human barricade to prevent locals from occupying neighbouring space where officials from other countries were slated to be seated. The venue, which was where the opening ceremony of the 11-day event was also held, had already proven itself to be limited in terms of seating capacity, given that thousands of Haitians were forced to line streets in its environs, only to enjoy what they could hear but not see.Ī scheduled 18:00hrs start, as expected, was shifted to 19:15hrs, with the semi-stadium-like structure almost filled to capacity at this time. CONFUSION reigned Sunday evening as thousands of Haitians converged on an already filled to overflowing Place Occide Jeanty, preferred venue for all major cultural events, in down-town Port-au-Prince to witness the spectacular closing of the 12th edition of the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA).
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