A sweet love song for T&T sung by Nayol Manswell and the infectious dance energy of the North West Laventille Cultural Movement backed by four stirring drummers were the highlights of Friday’s formal launch of The Market Strip. The Market Strip is that strip of the Queen’s Park Savannah pathway between Jerningham Avenue and Victoria Avenue that has been lit with twinkling lights and signposted, to create a special walkway for locals and visitors alongside the brightly painted Carnival vendors booths erected for the season.
The initiative is part of the National Carnival Commission’s (NCC’s) acknowledgement of the valuable contribution of vendors and small entrepreneurs at Carnival, spanning arts, crafts and food items for sale, as well as the skilled workers who help produce safe facilities for the Carnival season.
Naomi Iniss gave the invocation to start the launch. Young musicians from the Tunapuna-based Birdsong Academy played music for the night.
Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly formally opened the Market Strip. The Arts Minister said her ministry was working hard to convert Carnival from a once-a-year event into a sustainable industry, and to transform the cultural sector into an “economic growth zone fostering productivity, a high rate of return on investment, and employment generation.” She paid tribute to the foresight of NCC Chair, Kenneth De Silva, as well as NCC commissioner Darian Marcelle, for their recognition of the importance of the vendors at Carnival
Port-of-Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee also spoke briefly, urging people to show a spirit of caring for others during Carnival.