By Clifford Stanley
THE Grand Market and the Amerindian Village were declared open yesterday and visitors, exhibits, foods and music alike reflected the regional and international diversity of CARIFESTA X.

The sights …the sounds…. the foods all provided a feast for the eyes, ears and taste buds for those who flocked the Sophia Exhibition Site of the Grand Market yesterday.

The feast included numerous exhibits of art and craft by Guyanese artisans and by craftsmen in sister CARICOM countries including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and St Vincent and the Grenadines and the British Virgin Islands.

Some notable local exhibitors were the St Cuthberts Lokono Craft Group which exhibited exquisite pieces of tibisiri craft; the Lady Fraser Art and Craft booth exhibiting three dimensional paintings of aspects of Guyana’s landscapes; the Divine Sculptures booth featuring exhibits by Dr Simpson DaSilva comprising of pieces of driftwood with fantastic shapes, the Iron Man roots beverage for men to “to rouse the lion within” and others of garden plants, leathercraft and ceramics.

The international booths within the Sophia auditorium were also impressive to the many browsers.

Some of those offered information about the history and achievements of their respective countries, while others displayed craft items of much aesthetic beauty.

The exhibits displayed by the Trinidadians and Barbadians were among the most outstanding for their layout, beauty and educational nature, while others from the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands and elsewhere were also highly impressive.

The foods on display were mouthwatering, and in every instance were also a reflection of the diversity of the international cuisine made accessible by CARIFESTA X.

Those inclined to eat a lot had at their command a hard-to-resist array of local dishes and dishes from Brazil, Suriname, and Indonesia just to name a few of the national culinary booths which opened up early yesterday.

Just a few dollars away were succulent and aromatic sate chicken and noodles prepared by Indonesians (Aaah!), churasco barbecue bolo de chocolate…,(Ooooh!), pastel pudding and calabresa from Brazil (Aiee! This is too much!), also bamie fried noodles, nasie fried rice, nasie rames, saoto soup and sake from Suriname, all of which could be washed down with a dawit drink, which was also available in jumbo sizes.

These delicacies were available to visitors, some of whom indulged their propensity for “nyaam” against a backdrop of exotic music provided by the Tingumden Band of the Bahamas.

The band of Bahamians provided ‘Rake and Scrape’ and Junkanoo music which are indigenous to their country, as well as popular music.

The opening of the Amerindian village, named ‘Wamlan Pai Kulanau Puna’ in Patamona, or ‘Whirlwind Village’ was another of the many spectacles of colour and gaiety.

The Amerindian delegation from Suriname all dressed in costumes and elaborate feather headdresses attracted a large crowd with their Arawak and Carib welcome songs in the language of those tribes to the accompaniment of thumping sambora drums and rattling maracasses (shack shacks).

Also in attendance at the opening were similarly colourfully bedecked Amerindian delegations from Brazil and Venezuela as well as representatives of Guyana’s nine Indigenous tribes.

The opening of Wamlan Pai Kulanau Puna was attended by Minister of Culture Youth and Sports, Dr Frank Anthony, and Minister within the Ministry of Education, Dr Desrey Fox among other senior government functionaries.

Declaring the village open, Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Ms Pauline Sukhai said that it was a historic occasion which reflected the commitment of the Government to culture as a means of interchange cooperation and social progress.

The opening took place against the backdrop of a varied exhibition of Amerindian art and craft within the main benab.

The Grand Market and the Amerindian Village and all the other local and international booths and local and international musicians and cuisine will be part of a daily feature of CARIFESTA X starting from 11:00am and lasting until midnight until August 30.