NIFCA puts spotlight on talent

The curtain came down on the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) 2024 series with participating Barbadians from across all age groups being acknowledged for their contribution to the festival at the Wildey Gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Complex on Sunday evening.

The 50-year-old event produced by the National Cultural Foundation provides a platform for a variety of art forms such as drama, dance, music, literary arts, fine art and craft, culinary arts, and photography where entrants can earn gold, silver or bronze accreditation.

Entrants also had an opportunity to win the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Award along with a number of others named after cultural icons.

One of the popular contributors to this year’s festival was Multifarious Dance Crew.

The ten-year-old group copped a number of the prestigious prizes. They included the Madame Ifill Award, the Prime Minister Scholarship, the Prime Minister Best Original Entry, the Cynthia Award Wilson NIFCA Producers Prize, the NCF Business Entrepreneur Prize, Best Presentation By A Group, Certificate Of Achievement Directors and the NIFCA Award For Citizenship.

Jamal Dawe, leader of Multifarious, said they were not expecting so many awards on hearing the announcements.

NIFCA Citizenship Awards in music went to Ignatius Byer Primary School for Make The Right Choice; Elizabeth Best in the literary section for Mama’s Soup and in theatre, Malachi Hope for There was A Boy.

The NIFCA Award for achievement by an artist with a disability went to Serena Archer in the literary arts for The Girl In The Dusk and Mario Holder in the Visual Arts for Tied To The Ground.

All the winners of Symbol Of Excellence Icon Awards of cash and trophies were the Madame Ifill Award – Multarious Dance Crew (Breakin The Cycle); Gene Carson Award Of Excellence in the junior category – Dancin Africa (Passing The Light); the Erskine Callender Award in film and video – the Gemini Project (I Can’t Breathe).

Special Icon scholarships in dance, the Richild Springer Scholarship For Choreography went to Ysobel Jones (Psalm 91:11) performed JOY Productions, and in theatre – the NIFCA Earl Warner Prize went to Anderson Clarke and O’neil Riley – BPS Stars.

The Arden Clarke Founders Trophy went to Akeem Chandler-Prescott for his performance of Monsters Aren’t Real.

The evening’s presentation was punctuated by performances by some of the NIFCA winners. (JS)