In its 14th anniversary, the Festival of the Arts will get along in style as this year, it will play out at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts.
That should be a great relief for the parents and children who for the past two years have managed to show brilliance despite poor lighting, poor acoustics and poor seating at the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall.
This year, those performances will be put off on the best stage Belize has at the Bliss Center. Today this season of promise got started off in style with an opening ceremony. Minister of Education Hon. Francis Fonseca gave the keynote address telling performers while they love Ludacris, Beyonce, and Usher they should also got to give some love to the Grandmaster and other local performers too.
Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
"Here in Belize like in so many young developing countries across the world, art is too often defined by foreign cultures and values. For too many of our young people art is what they see on television. The only music they know is the music of Beyonce or Usher or Britney Spears or Ludacris. Dance is what they see or learn on MTV and BET. Poetry is Def Jam Poetry. And yes a lot of this music, dance, and poetry is cool or awesome as the kids say and a lot of it is brilliant - a lot of brilliant artists produce that music. But it can't be the only music, dance, and the only art our people are exposed to."
That was the festival opening marking the launch of the visual arts section, which remains on display at the Bliss Center. The performing arts section begins on Monday May 10th.