BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 6^th December 2019) – Chairman of the St.Kitts Music Festival Damian Hobson has revealed that come January 2020, “we’ll present a new great New Year’s gift to all fans when we make the final announcements.”

He made the disclosure during remarks at press conference held on Wednesday 4^th December at the Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI), ahead of the announcement of the first wave of three artistes expected to hit the stage for the first time namely Jamaican Reggae icon 71-year-old Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican Reggae sensation 19-year-old Koffee and Nigerian afrobeat sensation 29-year-old Wizkid.

The 24^th annual production of the St.Kitts Music Festival is scheduled to take place 24^th -28^th June 2020, and is slated to return to the Kim Collins Athletic Stadium in Bird Rock for a back to back staging there.

Hobson said the second announcement of artistes will be made at Cooler Fete on Saturday 21^st December 2019. Notably, in 2019, Buju Banton was announced at that fete event.

In touching on two main improvements for the upcoming festival, Hobson stated: “Based on all the feedback from 2019, we are certain that the Kim Collins Stadium is the best possible host location.”

According to him: “We were adequately able to provide parking, security and general ease of moving through the venue. For 2020, more effort will be made to ensure that no patron is disadvantaged when it comes to their preferred style of viewing performances and we intend to be more sensitive about the special needs of those who may be differently abled.”

The Music Festival Chairman also talked about “bigger and better performances” in pointing out that “2020 will see the addition of new genres and performances lasting up to an hour and a half. We’ll also feature artistes who cater to the fancies of all music festival goers- the young, the mature and all others.”

Chairman of the St.Kitts Music Festival Artistes Selection and Production Committee, Jonel Powell pointed out that the selection of the artistes is really about the availability, affordability and appeal of artistes.

“That simply means who’s available, can we afford them and how will they be received by the patrons who come to the St.Kitts Music festival, and that is not an easy job.”

“It is particularly difficult trying to book artiste this early in advance; not many of them are prepared to commit themselves almost three quarts of a year out but at the same time the St.Kitts Music Festival has grown to become such an event on the world festival stage that   many artists are actually reaching out to us before we can get to them.

Powell said next year’s festival is expected to top this year’s.

“We hope that the artiste that we present to you not just this morning but even when it comes down to the final announcement will all create that St.Kitts Music Festival experience that is like no other; one that nobody forgets and one that encourages patrons to keep on coming, that encourages patrons to purchase their tickets online before they even know who the artiste are or even after only finding out who three artistes are going to be. So that along with so many other things that we will introduce to ensure that the 2020 festival is bigger and better than 2019, and I know a lot of people are saying ‘Well, how are you going to top Buju?’ Well, watch us do it.” 

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 6^th December 2019) – Among those who participated in this week’s ‘Walk A Mile In My Shoe’ march organised by the St.Kitts-Nevis Association of Persons With Disabilities were individuals who tested the experience of being a wheelchair user and also a cane user concerning the blind and visually impaired.

On Wednesday 4^th November 2019, marchers walked the streets of Basseterre as part of the group’s week of activities in celebration of International Day of Persons With Disabilities which is observed on 3^rd December yearly.

The group’s banner message read: ‘NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US’.

Public Relations Officer Sylvine Henry-who has loss of vision- said the objective of the march “is to create awareness in the general public and for people to be more supportive of persons with disability.” 

“I think it is working to a certain extent although I do believe that some of our people try to avoid the issue of disability and try not to either don’t want to see it or think it can’t happen to them,” she stated.

“I wish more people would participate because as you participate as Hon. Konris was here and then the Deputy Prime Minister usually take part and others in those positions when they experience what we go through, it should influence the policies that they make,” Henry added.

Speaking about the banner message, she expressed that “any policy, any plan should have the input by the people who are disabled.”

An association volunteer, Diana Pemberton, who has participated in the march for the past four years as a wheelchair and cane user shared how life-changing the experience has been.

“I would rate the march a 10 because I am able to experience how it feels to live with disabilities. This is like my fourth year- and the first time I did it I actually used the wheelchair myself, and at the end of it my hands were literally hurting because I had to be pushing and going up the hill.”

She recalled past President Anthony Mills “actually took me through the process and explained that I had to put more pressure behind that you can go up because you’re going uphill. So, there a technique in how to actually use the wheelchair which I didn’t know because looking at it it’s like you just push and go…That first year, I had a fond appreciation for persons with disabilities and what they go through each day because what you can see as we roll through Basseterre is that a lot of the sidewalks that are not wheelchair accessible and so it’s difficult, and so sometimes we have to be on the road.”

Pemberton went on to say: “For me it was a life-changing experience and I view life differently and I am thankful to God for all my faculties. Being differently abled does not make anyone less of a human being, and I must commend persons with disabilities because they do extraordinary things. They do things that we ourselves as abled bodies cannot do and they go above and beyond and I really fondly appreciate them.”

This media house also spoke with Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Three Konris Maynard of the opposition St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party during the march.

He expressed that it is always a pleasure to support the association noting that he has participated in a couple of marches.

“I started off today in a wheelchair. It gives the appreciation, of course, that people have to use their hands and so in a short space of time I could feel my muscles strained because it is something that I don’t do every day. It limits your ability because as you walk around town, for instance, you’ll be limited in terms of businesses etc. so that is something that as a representative in parliament definitely I would be supporting initiatives to ensure that our business places are accessible to persons with disabilities. I think that at this point in time of our development that has to be a no brainer and has to be something that is standard.”

He continued: “Half way through the walk, I changed over to being disabled by loss of sight. This of course is a lot more challenging because I have no sense as to what is in front of me; you don’t know if someone is coming toward you to do you harm; you just don’t know and so you have to use your cane to sense, you have to use all of your other senses to make a determination of where you are. So based on people talking, the height at which they are talking from, I could tell whether they are seated  or whether they are standing up, I can hear the vehicles on either side , I can feel the terrain in the road. I feel as though I am more on the left side of the road because I am leaning towards the left so it means I’m not quite in the middle or just off center to the left and so it gives you a real appreciation of the challenges that come with living a disability but it also reinforces that not because you have a disability means that you cannot succeed in whatever you want to do.”

Maynard went on to highlight the academic achievement of his sister who has a disability.

“I learnt this right at home because I have a sister who is partially deaf with that particular disability. However, she pushed through and today she’s in university getting her university degree after all the challenges; after all she would have gone through, it’s amazing to see that even with her disability it has not stopped her from excelling.”

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 6^th December 2019)– Owners of dogs and cats on the island have been applauded by an Assistant Professor at Ross University  School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM), Dr. Andrea Peda, who has observed that most people “are really good with taking care of their animals.”

She made the disclosure during an exclusive interview with this media house at a recent community outreach free Pet Wellness Day hosted by PAWS (People for Animal Welfare on St. Kitts)- which is an RUSVM student animal rescue organisation- on Saturday 30^th November 2019 at the Douglas playfield in St. Peter’s which saw a total of two hundred and twenty-seven (227) individual animals checked-in.

Scores of pet owners were tended to by Ross clinicians, local veterinarian Dr. Ricaldo Pike as well as PAWS volunteers and other partnering groups such as SAFE (Saving Animals From Emergency), Ross University VIDA and The Feral Cat project at RUSVM. One Love Pets was also an event contributor.

Services provided included physical exams, vaccinations, deworming, flee tick and heartworm prevention, distribution of educational handouts, leashes and pet food.

Dr. Peda told: “We’re just promoting animal welfare and wellness and trying to educate the community on the importance of preventative care so and why we should do the vaccines, the deworming and all that. We do this once a semester so what that basally means is that every four months, we run this programme where we travel to different communities. We’ve been all around the island and we basically go to communities that are in need that we know need the help.”

Commenting on how the response from the public, she said: “It’s been an amazing response. I’m not sure how many animals we’ve seen so far today but probably a lot. The last one we did, we saw over 200 animals and I would say we seen at least 100 so far today. We usually do like a four-hour stint and we see mostly dogs but it’s for dogs and cats but I would say 95% of the population is usually dogs.”

Questioned about her observation concerning the care on animals in general, Dr. Peda- who is the coordinator of animal rescue activities on the island- had this to say: “So far, most of the people are really good with taking care of their animals; most people have had puppy shots given already. They may have problems with fleas and ticks and basically asking for the help which is great because people are wanting to take care of their pets which is what we’re here for; we’re here promoting that and I think it’s a good turn out with the way people are handling their animals. The animals look like they’re in good shape. People really do care about their animals and that’s what we’re here to promote more and really just build that human-animal bond within the community but so far everyone’s been great and if they have issues they are seeking the help which is what we want.”

Additionally, she gave an update on the Basseterre Animal Rescue Centre (BARC) located at Lime Kiln that was opened in July this year.

“We are not a clinic but we are a full service animal rescue and we have a student-run programme there, and it’s a community wellness programme. Ross University goes there every Tuesday and Thursday and we do wellness visits for community animals.”

She continued: “It’s very cheap; EC$50 per visit and with it you get a $350 value-physical exam, vaccine, deworming, one month of flea and heartworm prevention, a blood test and a microchip…and the goal with that is the same thing to promote wellness and get people to come in and take care of their animals. We provide free pick-up service so if people don’t have transportation, we’ll go and pick them up.”

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 29th November 2019) – A 21-year-old male visitor to St.Kitts who recently went hiking alone was found injured after getting lost while trying to explore Mount Liamuiga which comes months after a similar incident involving another tourist.  

Found was Jayme Houle of Canada.

Police received a report on Wednesday 20th November 2019 at about 5:45 p.m. that someone was lost at Mount Liamuiga.

As informed, in response, a joint search and rescue team comprising members of the Police Force, the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force, the St. Kitts-Nevis Fire and Rescue Service, and the Emergency Medical Service was formed immediately. The search began for 21-year-old Jayme Houle of Canada who had gone hiking alone. He had fallen down the mountain side, got injured and lost. 

The next day (Thursday 21st November), Houle was spotted in the Newton Ground area and was first taken to the Pogson Medical Centre in Sandy Point by Police Officers and then transferred to the Joseph N. France General Hospital in Basseterre for further medical attention. 

Earlier this year in July, newly-weds on the honeymoon (Clay and Acaimie Chastain of the US) experienced a hiking mishap after the husband got an injurious fall at Mount Liamuiga.

As gathered, the couple hiked two miles up to the dormant volcano and Clay fell some estimated 50 feet inside the volcano after wanting to get a better view of the lush greenery. It is suspected that a rope snapped.

He reportedly suffered a concussion and cracked vertebra, a fracture in his skull and loss of hearing in his right ear.

On the heels of that July 2019 incident, this media conducted an exclusive interview with tour guide professional who spoke under the condition of being nameless as he touched on the importance of being accompanied by a trained and qualified tour guide certified by the St.Kitts Tourism Authority.

Additionally, he warned against going about such outdoorsy adventures alone.

 “For safety, protection of the environment and the whole enhancement of the experience, it’s better you go with a guide and never go by yourself,” he cautioned.

In further encouraging individuals to think about their safety, he expressed: “One of the things about these trained guides is that they have to keep themselves fit and healthy and they also take all of the different security precautions and they also have their first aid kit and everything to administer, and the protocols to administer these things. This is how deep it is so if you are thinking about going by yourself forget about doing so.”

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 29^th November 2019) – At age 94, William Dore- affectionately known as Willie-could share many stories and lessons about life but he is not one to brag about his helpfulness towards others since quietly making contributions to uplift others who are doing inspirational and commendable work within the community and country is part of his personality.

On the receiving end of his generosity most recently is well-known Cultural Preservationist Winston ‘Zack’ Nisbett who has gotten a financial donation towards the operation of his cultural music band which consists of children who play guitars, banjos and fifes while Nisbett usually plays the shak-shak.

Nisbett is also the keeper of the Zack’s Historical and Cultural Museum located at Buckley’s site in Basseterre.

On Monday this week (25^th November 2019), he (Nisbett) organised a spotlight recognition ceremony to express his gratitude at Dore’s home located at Shadwell Gardens where a  section of his living room wall is decorated with numerous plaques capturing his longstanding humanitarian efforts to his community, nation and we even further afield.

“I know him (Dore) as a head teacher, inspector of schools and other areas; a dignified personality. People tend to look at people and take them for granted not knowing the quality of life, and the quality of life is not money (but rather) it’s from your heart and what you do from within your heart, and all my work I’ve done is from my heart. What I do is from compassion. I didn’t know it have men with this kind of heart, and this is good because it shows to St.Kitts-Nevis…,” he told.

Nisbett, who was the first St. Kitts-Nevis awardee of the FirstCaribbean International Bank Unsung Hero programme in 2005, added: “I couldn’t help from doing this today. This to me is one of the biggest things in my life. I am so overjoyed. Mr. Dore says he don’t like publicity and these kind of things but I like transparency because even when I host the annual Easter Monday Aquatic Sports, I go on the radio and I publicise the contribution of the sponsors. This is a wonderful achievement and I would like the good Lord to keep Mr. Dore for a next hundred years,” he added.

Attending the event was the middle man contact of the contribution in the person of Rev. Canon Dwane Cassius of the Pro-Cathedral of St. George (formerly the St. George’s Anglican Church) who reached out to Nisbett on behalf of his church member Dore.

He expressed that it was a privilege to share in the small but very meaningful exchange that day.

“For brother Zack and Brother William to get to this point where they were able to connect and one can offer help…and brother William has been able to bless brother Zack in more than one ways I would say because as he has been indicating it goes beyond money and it’s a very good expression of good, sound Christian practice. You don’t have to be directly benefitting from something or someone in order to donate…”

He added: “Brother Dore has always had that sense of sharing; has been quite a philanthropist and so he continues up to as long as God will have him and enable him. It’s for me a double pleasure having one of our church members and a longtime friend way back to my diaper days (growing up in Carty Allley) to have both men linking up in this way and being able to benefit from each other in this way…”

Zack’s music band is expected to visit Dore’s home during the Christmas season.