Young voices to tell the CARIFESTA XV story

As Barbados prepares for the grand opening of CARIFESTA, a new generation of correspondents is stepping into the spotlight – trained not just to report, but to connect millions of Caribbean people to the heart of the festival.

Ten young trainees, guided through intensive sessions at the Barbados Community College, will now serve as “the eyes and ears” for those unable to attend. Over three days, in classes lasting three hours each, they were coached by veteran journalist Roy Morris, who impressed on them that their role is not to simply describe, but to capture the essence of the region’s cultural festival. Thursday marked the end of their training, just as their assignment began.

Morris urged participants to remember one thing above all: “What you are communicating is not for you.”

He reminded them that their task was to reach more than three million people across the Caribbean, making their coverage an act of service rather than self-expression. He emphasised one core principle: curiosity.

“Curiosity is your most potent tool,” Morris told them. “If you are not curious, you can’t capture it. You have to get their attention.”

For 21-year-old Michael Elliot, the opportunity to become a CARIFESTA correspondent is both professional and personal: “I honestly love Caribbean culture altogether. As it pertains to my professional career, I believe that this is a stepping stone for me. I host and I emcee, and I’m also in marketing, so this helps me step into a different world — research, journalism, finding stories and reporting on them.”

Delia Clark, 29, sees her assignment as a bridge between her Crop Over experience and the broader Caribbean stage.

“I’m most interested in seeing the super concerts. We just came out of Crop Over, so I’m still building on that. It would still be the music and the entertainers. From my experience in the Crop Over space, I would have interacted with local entertainers, but now I get an opportunity to talk to entertainers from other Caribbean islands, not just soca. There are other genres too.”

Shalia Frederic, at just 15, may be the youngest correspondent in the training, but she speaks with striking clarity about her role: “It’s not about what you do or what you say, but about people’s enjoyment and reactions. You portray it to the audience that couldn’t be there. CARIFESTA is bringing all the Caribbean countries together and showcasing the different aspects they have to offer. Maybe artists could even see each other and collaborate in the future, and we could report on that”.

For 18-year-old Warren Eversley, the training underscored the importance of breaking down divisions across the region.

“I’ve learned to look at other Caribbean people as the same people as me. Instead of creating divisions, it makes sense to break down barriers and connect, because we have more in common than we realise. I want to highlight the stories of how people got into the arts, the things that inspired them, because everybody relates to something personal,” he said.

The participants’ reflections mirror the principles drilled into them by Morris: remain open, avoid bias, and focus on people as the anchor of every story. “You cannot be limited by your personal likes and dislikes,” he told them. “Coverage has to be how you relate to the audience and how natural it comes over.”

He also cautioned them about the dangers of losing their audience. “If you bore your audience, they are not coming back. You have to catch their attention through simple language.”

To do that, he encouraged them to “find an anchor for every story you are going to tell…something to focus on, a main interest point that your reader or viewer will gravitate to. You are there as their eyes and ears.”

“Let the facts speak for themselves. Make sure the audience feels what you are putting across. If you succeed, your words will make them part of the experience,” Morris added.

tracymoore@barbadostoday.bb

The post Young voices to tell the CARIFESTA XV story appeared first on Barbados Today.

Share the Post:

#LOUD

Music Submission

Fill out the form below, and we will be in touch shortly.
Contact Information
Upload & Submit