Five regional artists have been selected to display their work in a special exhibition in honour of the Arts to be held at the Presidential Palace in Paramaribo, Suriname during CARIFESTA VIII scheduled for 24-30 August 2003 in that CARICOM Member State.

Mr. Leroy Clarke of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Philip Moore of Guyana, Messrs. Soeki Irodikromo and Richenel Liveld and Mrs. Cornelly Aloema of Suriname, have been singled out as the cultural icons in the areas of visual art, sculpture and pottery who will be so honoured. Under the auspices of the President of Suriname, H.E. Runaldo Venetiaan, the five will showcase their work on a “Stage of Honour” during CARIFESTA.

Moore, Clarke and Irodikromo are among some of the elders in the Region’s community of artists. In recognition of their outstanding contribution to Caribbean culture and its development over the last six decades approximately, CARIFESTA VIII honours their creativity and pays tribute to their long tradition of excellence

The Caribbean Festival of Arts and Culture (CARIFESTA) has been described as an occasion for the arts to speak in all its varied forms and from diverse peoples, and is a powerful vehicle through which the region’s creative population gets an opportunity to share its similarities and diversities.

In keeping with Suriname’s goal to make this Eighth CARIFESTA a true celebration of the “excellence of art”, organisers view this unique gathering of artists and cultural aficionados as a chance to market art and craft in all its diversity, with an emphasis on quality.

The Festival was inaugurated in 1972 in Guyana, and although it has not followed a pattern of frequency, it still remains the single largest regional gathering of artists and cultural enthusiasts.