Premier Reuben T. Meade has confirmed that a substantial sum will be allocated for the full refurbishment of the Montserrat Cultural Centre, which is now under the management of the Montserrat Arts Council (MAC).
Since it’s construction, the centre which was donated to the people of Montserrat by Sir George Martin, through the Montserrat Music Foundation UK, was managed by a private board.
Speaking on What’s on Your Mind, the premier, who has responsibility for culture and tourism, emphasised the need for the facility to be utilised more frequently.
The premier encouraged cultural events throughout the year. “We have to make sure that the cultural centre is being utilised as much as possible. We tend to wait until December or March to bring out the culture. I see no reason why the calypsonians, once per month, can’t have a show at the cultural center where they display their talents and charge for it and the money then gets split up amongst the Calypsonians. The same thing goes for other artists and the other non-Calypso music. Use the cultural centre as well, so that we’re not here saying, ‘Oh, we don’t have someplace to go.’ ”
With the government now in charge, structural and operational changes are also in progress. “The government of Montserrat has now taken over the ownership of the cultural centre. And the management will be under the MAC. There will be a board, and also a member of the Martin family will be on the cultural centre board.”
Meade also envisions an enhanced cultural display within the centre. “When you’re going into the cultural centre, why are we seeing bare walls? Why are we not seeing a display of our history on those walls, our paintings on the walls? So that when people come into the cultural centre, they can say, ‘Oh, that is how Plymouth used to look, that is how St. Patrick’s used to look.'”
On the topic of renovations, he addressed concerns regarding cooling systems: “A cooling system needs to be introduced to ensure that the heat index inside there is reduced. It may not be air conditioning because once you talk about air conditioning, you have to look at closing up, and it then becomes a fire hazard. Therefore, we have to look at a system where we’re extracting air, we’re getting it cooled down.”
Additionally, he expressed gratitude for a recent donation. “I want to say a big thank you to Her Excellency the Governor for the donation of the big standby generator, which was donated to the cultural centre. Thank you very much, Your Excellency.”
Regarding concerns about MAC’s capacity to handle its expanded role, the premier acknowledged the need for additional support. “Definitely, there will be improvements there. I can say that we’re hoping – and this is part of what we’re looking at – that within every school in Montserrat, there will be a mas group. Within the school system, not necessarily as part of the curriculum, we used to have what we call after-school activities, weekend activities, where we will also have persons who will be teaching music, Calypso writing, etcetera, etcetera. We’re also looking at having more plays done. So we’re looking at a raft of cultural activities by increasing the complement of resources available to make those things happen.”
Meade also called for greater recognition and support for Montserrat’s cultural practitioners. “If we take, for example, somebody like Cupid, and I just want to use him as one example. Cupid has been doing yeoman service in Montserrat, teaching pan, teaching music, and he’s not a trained musician, but he has been doing it absolutely free of cost. Why is it that we can’t give Cupid a stipend to do some of what he’s doing and possibly expand on what he’s doing? We have somebody like Bear, who is a multi-time Calypso monarch not only in Montserrat but in Antigua and at the regional level. Why are we not utilising his skills and services? And I can say, yes, his skills and services will also be utilised. We have someone like Chad Cumberbatch, who does his plays and so forth along with others in Montserrat. They have to be part of the process. And we can’t expect persons to be doing what they’re doing free of cost all the time.”
The premier added that more will be revealed in next week’s Budget Speech scheduled for April 8 in the cultural centre.
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