St. George’s, November 8, 2011 – Grenadians will celebrate the nation’s 38th anniversary of Independence with a strong focus on environmentally friendly and parish-based activities, including a “Prime Minister’s Best Village Competition.’’
The activities are being overseen by the National Celebrations’ Committee (NCC) headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Smith Roberts, of the Royal Grenada Police Force.
Grenada, a former British colony, became an independent nation on February 7, 1974.
“The concept of our 38th Independence Day celebration is to acknowledge and celebrate our national achievements by highlighting those things that are perceived as a part of our national identity,’’ said ACP Roberts.
It is also to display “things developed here that contribute to our economic advancement and to include a wide cross-section of the population in its execution,’’ he added.
Smith has established a sub-committee of representatives from all the parishes, including Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
The representatives, who are all members of established organisations in their parishes, have been asked to utilize their groups to facilitate activities such as a Parish Day.
The Parish Day is expected to begin January 31, 2012, in St. George’s and continue nationwide until February 6 in St. Andrew.
The plan is that prior to each Parish Day, the parishes will showcase their pride in three components: an environment project such as village beautification, tree planting, floral arrangement or mural painting; culture including dance, song and craft; and the preparation of the national dish, Oil Down.
The three-part showcase is the content of the “Prime Minister’s Best Village Competition,’’ and a selection of the most outstanding items from the villages will be displayed at each Parish Day.
“Participation in the Best Village Competition may be by individual villages or a combination of two adjacent villages to form a single unit,’’ said Dr. George Vincent, who is chairing the sub-committee of parish representatives.
“This competition is expected to bring people together and engender community spirit, promote healthy environment and promote cultural expressions.’’
Village participants are expected to register for the competition in their various parishes. To assist with the registration, and to begin the mobilization of villages, parishes have been assigned workers drawn from the Youth Empowerment program.
The duties of the youth assistants include meeting with village groups and organisations to explain “the aims and objectives of the activities and encourage participation in the Prime Minister’s Best Village Competition and the Parish Day.’’
The youth assistants are also to help with identifying talent in the different parish villages.
The NCC is being aided by the Grenada Cultural Foundation (GCF) in the execution of the 2012 Independence anniversary activities.
For more information on the activities, including the Parish Days and the Prime Minister’s Best Village Competition, call the GCF at 435-5869 or 435-2839.
