Nevis Culturama Festival 2012 slogan and Patron announced

Ms Jean Caines

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis (May 17, 2012) — The Festivals Secretariat is delighted to announce that the 2012 Nevis Culturama Festival slogan has been selected. The winning slogan,” Our Identity! Our Survival! 2K12 Culturama Festival!” was submitted by Ms. Jean Caines, a resident of Brazier’s Estate, St. John’s Parish Nevis. The slogan will be used to vigorously market Nevis’ Culturama Festival 2012 locally, regionally and internationally.

Ms. Caines will receive a plaque along with two complimentary tickets to all Culturama 2012 activities.

The Festivals Secretariat takes this opportunity to congratulate Ms Jean Caines for her winning slogan and to thank all those persons who participated in the 2012 Nevis Culturama Festival Slogan Competition.

The Nevis Culturama Committee is also pleased to announce that Mr. Victor Elmos Jeffers of Mount Lily Village but who now resides in Westbury Village will be the honored Patron for the thirty eighth edition of Nevis’ Culturama Festival in 2012.

Mr. Victor Elmos Jeffers

Mr. Jeffers has been involved in the preservation of Nevisian folk music for over sixty five years. His musical career began while he was attending the Combermere All Age School. During that period he got together with other family members and formed a family string band which played at church and family functions. They also played for the Sagwah during the Christmas season.

Mr. Jeffers also played for many years with the Melody Makers Orchestra and was a founding member of the Humming Birds String Band in the 1980’s. Smokey, as he is popularly known, still continues to be a member of the Humming Birds String Band. Although he plays all of the stringed instruments in the string band Mr. Jeffers’ instrument of choice is the Mandolin.

Mr. Jeffers has played at every major entertainment spot in Nevis during his long musical career. As a member of the Humming Birds String Band, he has toured Montserrat, Barbados, Antigua and attended the 2003 CARIFESTA in Suriname.

Mr. Jeffers is still actively employed as a tractor driver at the Department of Agriculture, having served in that capacity for the past fifty six years.

As Patron for Culturama 2012, it is expected that Mr. Jeffers would be present at all Culturama 2012 activities and that he would be the Grand Marshall leading the 2012 Culturama Cultural Street Parade on Tuesday August 7th.

The Ministry of Social Development, the Nevis Cultural Development Foundation and the Nevis Culturama Committee salute Mr. Victor Elmos Jeffers for his sterling contribution towards the advancement and preservation of Culture and Culturama on Nevis. Long Live Victor Elmos Jeffers aka Smokey!