St Mary’s South MP Wants More Promotions for Carnival

St Mary South MP Kelvin Shugy Simon

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The Member of Parliament for St Mary’s South, Kelvin Shugy Simon, has expressed deep concern about the lack of government support for promoting Antigua and Barbuda’s unique and vibrant culture.

Despite the rich history and diverse cultural heritage of the country, Simon believes that not enough is being done to showcase the local traditions, music, dance, and cuisine to both locals and visitors.

Simon is calling for a greater emphasis on cultural preservation and promotion, including increased funding for cultural events and festivals, more opportunities for cultural education and training, and creating a comprehensive cultural tourism strategy to attract visitors from around the world.

At a recent UPP’s People’s Parliament, Simon spoke out against the current state of Antigua and Barbuda’s carnival festivities, which he believes are not generating enough revenue for the country.

He cited other Caribbean countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, which generate over 100 million USD per year from their carnival events.

In contrast, it is unclear how much revenue Antigua and Barbuda’s carnival contributes to the country’s gross domestic product.

Simon also believes there needs to be a more collaborative approach to carnival planning, with all stakeholders sitting at the planning table.

This includes promoters, DJs, master shop owners, vendors, and sound system owners.

He believes that this approach will improve the overall quality of the carnival festivities, which the Ministry of Creative Industries is currently planning without a clear strategy for marketing the events abroad.

Simon believes that Antigua and Barbuda’s carnival has the potential to be as successful as those in Jamaica, Trinidad, and the US.

However, he believes that the government needs to do more to promote the country’s carnival festivities on the international stage, where it can attract more feters and generate more revenue.