For the Record: RE: A Taste of Carnival 2022

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Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts


21 January 2022

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts takes note of the comments in the public domain related to the headline in Thursday’s (Thursday 20, 2022) Daily Express, “Carnival is On”.

It is unfortunate that the statement released by this Ministry was misinterpreted by the Daily Express, which caused the misleading headline, “Carnival is On”.

This misleading headline has, understandably, generated negative feedback from some of this Ministry’s most valuable Carnival and event industry stakeholders who may have connected the headline in the Daily Express to the Ministry’s positions on Carnival 2022.

To reiterate, the Ministry has proposed a “Taste of Carnival” which would include specific types of Carnival activities for vaccinated persons only in safe zone arrangements deemed to pose the least risk from a public health standpoint in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These Carnival type activities include, Calypso, Soca, Extempo, Chutney, and Steel Pan shows and competitions usually held during the Carnival season. The Ministry has not proposed that Carnival in its truest sense be held, nor did it ever attempt mislead anyone as it pertains to its proposal for safe Carnival activities to be held during the Carnival season.

At the Ministry, we acknowledge the hardship being experienced by the events industry and by all culture workers as indicated recently by our valued stakeholders. And in that regard, we continue to work together, as we always have, to bring relief, and to consider and implement proposals for an early, but safe and cautious restart to the entire entertainment industry.

The Ministry also acknowledges that these events as proposed in its Taste of Carnival 2022 proposal cannot be and is not, a replacement to the numerous opportunities and events that a full Carnival celebration provides.

We strongly encourage everyone to be vaccinated and urge the event stakeholders to continue to join us in that call at every opportunity.

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