24th
July 2010
Saint Lucia
nice - Great Carnival 2010, Now it is time for
Home Coming!
 What
a time of year and what a year it is. There
is never a dull moment. The atmosphere is electrifying,
everything is beautiful! St. Lucia nice! There
is no better place to be at this time than right
here in St. Lucia in spite of the economic pressures
that are being experienced. Things are rough,
the economy is further contracting. The projects
that were expected to come on stream in the
first quarter, didn’t come in the second
but expectations remain high that something
major will happen soon.
Carnival 2010 was a success in spite of the
many set backs and lack of funding. It proves
that once there is a will there will always
be a way. What a ride it has been. If there
was ever a need for a postmortem, it is on this
occasion when every effort must be made to get
Carnival right in 2011. It is definite that
the Government will have to come to the table
with a budgeted contribution that will allow
for the level of success that is possible to
achieve. Carnival is more than a Cultural event.
It is an economic venture. The private sector
must step up to the table and execute programmes
that will give visibility to this very important
event. The Cultural Development Foundation (CDF)
should partner with firms and individuals throughout
the year to produce programmes that will keep
the momentum going.
The whole business of Carnival is linked to
the entertainment industry in general and the
music industry in particular. It is necessary
that we do not lose track of our objective to
put the music industry on a strong footing.
There have been too many frustrations this season.
However, some good things happened along the
way and generally, lessons should be learnt.
Home Coming 2010 is well on the way and the
planners are putting the final touches to the
programme. The value of this event to the nation
cannot be over emphasized. Getting St. Lucians
to come home to see the developments at first
hand is good for everyone. It will give those
who have been away for a long period an idea
of how far we have come and the sacrifices made
by those of us who are left behind. Home Coming
2010 will open up opportunities for overseas
based St. Lucians to make investments in their
country and participate generally in all other
aspects of life in St. Lucia. The Partnership
Fair to be held at Beausejour, July 26-90, 2010
will expose visitors to products and services
offered by local entrepreneurs. The sluggish
Real Estate sector should get a boost as visitors
seek to invest in ownership of a piece of the
rock – Saint Lucia.
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