MINISTER in the Ministry of Culture and Local Government, Fortuna Belrose, is welcoming criticisms from the public so as to help the Soleil brand becoming better.
The Roots & Soul festival, the second to be held under the brand, ended Sunday night with the Jamaican family reggae group, Morgan Heritage, bringing the curtains down at the Pigeon Island National Park.
Although it rained heavily that night, St. Lucians turned up in larger numbers than the previous night to take in the act, giving the organizers, Events St. Lucia, hope that the St. Lucian Summer Festivals, dubbed Soleil, was not a bad idea after all.
Buoyed by the attendance at the Sunday night show despite inclement weather, Belrose said people were beginning to develop confidence in the organizers.
She said that all criticisms and shortcomings from the various shows will be looked at and that issues corrected so that next year’s events will all be “exploding”.
However, Belrose admitted that the just-concluded Roots & Soul Festival, held within the carnival season, could have been done differently, by having a show more applicable to carnival.
“We recognized that and, in planning for next year, will make the changes,” she said.
The criticisms she said are all about improving every delivery made under the Soleil brand.
“For each event, there is learning. For us, it is about learning and making the desired changes as we go along, making sure we tightened up when we get the criticisms. We want the public to criticize; give us the negative and the positive to help us shape this,” she said.
The Summer of Festivals ran from May 12-14 with St. Lucia Jazz. Emphasis is now being placed on St. Lucia Carnival, which runs from mid-June to mid–July, following which the St. Lucia Food and Rum Festival will be hosted from August 24–27. From September 15 – 17, the Country and Blues Festival will be hosted.
The Arts and Heritage Festival is the final festival for Soliel and will be held in October and include JounenKweyol.
