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A grand Ole’ time at UWI Old Yard 2023 A Sense of Home

For Release Upon Receipt - February 17, 2023

St. Augustine


 

 Perfomance by the Pierrot Grenade at Old Yard 2023. 

The UWI St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago. Friday, 17 February 2023 – On February 12, The University of the West Indies (UWI) Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA), brought a sense of home at its annual carnival event, The Old Yard, when its Gordon Street facility was transformed into a Gayelle with architectural style reminiscent of long ago. The Old Yard gave visitors an interactive and dynamic journey into Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural history including a carnival masquerade of Gorillas, Moko Jumbies, Fancy Indians, Blue Devils and Dame Lorraines.

Senior Lecturer and Head of Department of Creative and Festival Arts, Mr Jessel Murray commented that, “After a two-year hiatus, it was a delight to see the product of the hard work of the students and staff of the department, aided by the many professionals who believe in the traditional Carnival arts. The intermittent appearance of rain did nothing to dampen the collective celebration, in fact, it seemed to add the ‘edge’ to festivities. This festival is a central pillar of the collective visual and performing arts at our department, and we will continue to expand the possibilities of the all these artforms.”

Student-led traditional Carnival characters were the highlight with their portrayals of Bats, Minstrels and Burrokeets. Performances featured Theatre (Dame Lorraine Ball, Blue Devil),  Music (Rhythm Section) and Dance Degree (Dance Performances) students and Alum (Jab Jabs, Pierrot Grenade) prominently. This year’s showcase was a Midnight Robber Band and Sharlan Bailey, Son of the Mighty Shadow as special acts. 

For those who missed this captivating event, come in the yard… Old Yard 2023 : A sense of home

End. 

 About The University of the West Indies

 The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region for the past 75 years.

 From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Monain Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hillin Barbados, Five IslandsinAntigua and Barbuda and itsOpen Campus, and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

 The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.

 The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean in the World University Rankings, it is also in the top 25 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

 2023 marks The UWI’s 75th anniversary. The Diamond jubilee milestone themed “UWI at 75. Rooted. Ready. Rising.” features initiatives purposely designed and aligned to reflect on the past, confront the present, and articulate plans for the future of the regional University.

 

Learn more at www.uwi.edu  

 

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