Portal de la Cultura de América Latina y el Caribe
President Ali urges CARICOM to ensure region’s culture reflects unity, positivity
 
    
Incumbent Chairman of CARICOM, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali amongst Caribbean leaders at the opening of the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM at the National Culture Centre.
Photo: DPI
26 February 2024/ DPI

Leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have been urged to prioritise ensuring the region’s cultural heritage is portrayed to the world as a tool of unity thereby promoting positive living to protect future generations. Chairman of CARICOM and Guyana’s President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali made the passionate plea in his address to the opening of the high-profile, 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM at the National Culture Centre (NCC) Sunday evening.

As he focused his attention on music, the head of state emphatically articulated that the region must not promote lyrics that endorse violence, but lyrics that can instill positive change among the populace.

“As leaders of this region, we have to take this situation very seriously and ensure that lyrics of this region is the lyrics of Bob Marley, the lyrics of positivity and the lyrics of positive living and positive change,” he underscored.

The CARICOM Chair pointed out an instance whereby a Caribbean artiste was blocked from performing in Guyana due to him being on the International Criminal Police Organisation’s (INTERPOL) red notice.

For context, a Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. And so, President Ali is obstinate that the region’s culture cannot be captured in this troubling narrative.

“We have to lead a revolution on this narrative and reposition our culture in the way it was conceived, that is for positive living and positive upliftment. This is not about anyone or against anyone, this is for our region and for our future of the young people in this region,” President Ali underlined.

He also highlighted the importance of investing in one’s culture as it is a common thread that brings people together.

Those in attendance were told of Guyana’s conscious decision to invest in its culture as a tool and mechanism of unifying and telling a story of who Guyanese are as a people.

“We owe it to the generation ahead of us to keep our culture alive and invest in this culture, because that culture is what distinguishes us from every other region,” the CARICOM chair stated.

  Related Link(s): Cultural Heritage, World Heritage, Intangible Heritage, Museums-Illicit Trafficking, Cultural Policies
     
  Top Page  Top  
 
  NEWS
 
   Search by
Topic(s):
 
Members:
 



Date
  Month: Year:
 
Advanced search
 
 
   Related Link(s)
 Cultural Heritage
 World Heritage
 Intangible Heritage
 Museums-Illicit Trafficking
 Cultural Policies
GO
14867 Element(s) found In the following sections:
- News:  6519
- Documents:  801
- Directory of Institutions:  799
- Cultural Agenda:  5945
- Calls for...:  541
- Projects:  262
 
Portal de la Cultura - América Latina y el Caribe de la UNESCO

www.lacult.unesco.org

| World Heritage | Intangible Heritage | Underwater Cultural Heritage | Museums – Light Against Illicit Trafficking | Diversity of Cultural Expressions |
| Cultural Policies | Culture and Development | Meeting Ministers Culture CELAC | 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development | © 2019 |