BELIZE CARNIVAL ASSOCIATION LAUNCHES CARNIVAL SEASON

August 08, 2007

The Belize Carnival Association officially launched this year’s carnival season. Fund-raising and Marketing Officer, Valerie Woods says this year’s objective is to make carnival bigger, better, and more organized. At today’s launch, Woods said the Carnival Association is in dialogue with the National Institute of Culture and History to become one of its affiliates.

Valerie Woods:Belize Carnival Association Fund-raising and Marketing Officer

“We made mention of a proposal that we’re presenting to NICH for our future carnival management and how best we can work with NICH to make sure that carnivals are better managed and organized.Right now for all the years,it has always been on an involuntary basis and we feel to get to the next level,we need to get it where we’re attached to an organization,most naturally that of NICH because we want to incorporate the diverse culture of Belize to the carnival spirit here.We also provided information on our planning efforts.The group of eight volunteers,your Belize Carnival Association have been meeting since September of last year,right after the last carnival with one objective in mind-make 2007 bigger and better,more organized,get the businesses involved,get the media involved and get people supporting and if you will,back in love again with carnival in Belize.It has over a thirty year history,we don’t want it to die and we’re having fun with it,it’s all about having fun.”

The association also launched this year’s logo.

Valerie Woods:Belize Carnival Association Fund-raising and Marketing Officer

“The logo,we wanted to have a fun,festive image and we asked Genie Versatile Connections and Genie Shaw who was so kind enough to give us the logo for the association and she designed our first logo for Belize Carnival 2007.It’s really a theme that captures a female face,a Creole face if you will,with all the beads and festivities,all colors of the blue,red and white for the Belizean flag this year.Our idea behind it is just to attach a specific identity for each year’s carnival.As we grow it and it becomes bigger and better,we hope that themes will vary,whether or not it’s from different cultures to a different theme,whether it’s a conservation theme,whether it’s a marine theme,it may vary but to have it look as festive as possible.”

And to top off the carnival spirit, Kenny G and the New Creation Band came up with this year’s carnival theme song.

Valerie Woods:Belize Carnival Association Fund-raising and Marketing Officer

“We also launched the theme song.First ever in the history of Belize carnival we can actually say that we have our own Belize Carnival song.Yes we want to jump up to the songs of Trinidad and Barbados and that’s fantastic.We remember the Caribbean community,but we also want to promote the talent in Belize of our local artists who are up to the task and skilled to develop and design as equally enjoyable soca music.So the Association Commission,Kenny G and his band came up with a fabulous song.You hear Albert Street,Regent Street,Yabourough,all the establishments in Belize and we’re encouraging other local artists to now start thinking of that.We will now be sending out dates in advance of what the carnival dates are so you can work towards developing your music for that particular carnival season.”

Fund-raising and Marketing Officer, Valerie Woods. Public relations officer of the B-C-A, Michelle Bowers briefly highlighted what to look forward to carnival day.

Michelle Bowers:Public relations officer of the B-C-A

“The road march starts at 1pm in the afternoon starting off from Ceasar Ridge Road,however,we’ll be having prejudging at 11am and the carnival goes all the way until,we’re estimating about four o’clock or so to be finished at the Marion Jones Stadium.So we’d like to invite the public to come out.This year we have seven senior bands,which is the most we’ve ever had.I think we’ve made history this year.We have five junior bands and we should be having two non-competing bands.We might be having a judge from Trinidad and then another non-competing group from Nicaragua.We will be having competition on the day of the carnival itself.The first prejudging starts at 11am on Ceasar Ridge Road.We have another judging at Del Monte,then we have at Santos Diaz on Central American Boulevard and the final judging is done at the Marion Jones Stadium.This year we have big cash prizes compared to last year.We’ve increased the amount of cash awards.We have trophies that will be given out on the afternoon of the finale.So we’re really trying to live up to our objective of being a bigger and better Carnival.So we invite everyone to come out this year.We’re getting all hype so that it could be an exciting and fun day.”

Public relations officer of the B-C-A, Michelle Bowers. In terms of sponsorship for the event, Woods says the Belize Tourism Board, Traveler’s Liquors Limited, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, Angelus Press Limited, and Tenchtronics are assisting tremendously in making the event possible. However, she appeals to the business community to support the carnivals bands as they too are in need of financing. Carnival day is set for Saturday, September 8^th and the name of the carnival theme song is “Jump Fi Carnival”.

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