A seat at the table: Women, Culture & the heartbeat of CARIFESTA

"Who run the world? Girls." Beyoncé said it, but here in the Caribbean, we're living it. As we prepare for CARIFESTA XV, the region's largest cultural festival, I fi nd myself surrounded by extraordinary women each one shaping something magical. It's not lost on me what a privilege it is to be seated at this table. To be building something this grand, this complex, this important with women who lead with strength, clarity, and care. Behind every meeting, every decision, every deadline, there's a woman anchoring it. Michelle Cox, our Artistic Lead, is a creative force.

Part academic, part artist, part fi xer-of-everything. She leads with kindness and focus, seeing ten steps ahead, asking the right questions, and making sure no detail is left behind. She's a doer, but more than that, she's a compass. Quietly guiding the team toward the fi nish line with grace. Carol Roberts, our Festival Director and CEO of the National Cultural Foundation, brings the soul and strategy. She is fi re and laughter in one A reninnal titan in culture her ability to one. A regional titan in culture, her ability to move between boardroom and backstage is unmatched. She's fi rm, deeply passionate, and doesn't just set the bar she becomes it. Watching her work is watching power in motion.

Our Minister of Culture, Dr. the Hon. Shantal Munro-Knight, has the rare gift of cutting through the fog and getting to the truth. She brings clarity and urgency. She challenges you to be better and supports you while you try. She's the kind of leader who sees your best self before you do, and then holds you to it. And beyond these powerhouses, the list continues. With Dawn Lisa Callendar designing the opening ceremony, carving out moments to stir the region's soul. Therese Fergusson leading on travel and accommodations juggling moving parts from over a dozen countries with calm precision. This isn't just work. It's woman work, the kind that feels, listens, nurtures, and delivers. The kind that leads from the heart and lands with impact. We've always handled the caring, now we're leading the vision.

The Caribbean's creative space is changing and women are at the forefront. We're in the planning rooms, the press briefings, the production calls. We're building markets, managing brands, shaping artistic policy. We're not waiting to be included we're designing the experience. At this year's Grand Market, you'll see dozens of female-led businesses designers, artisans, food makers, wellness entrepreneurs taking their place in the regional economy. These women aren't just vendors. They are storytellers, culture keepers, innovators. The numbers back it up: • Women make up more than 55% of tertiary graduates in the Caribbean, especially in the arts and humanities. • Across the region, women are increasingly holding top roles in cultural institutions, ministries, and production houses.

When women lead, studies show teams are more collaborative, more resilient, and more community-driven. But honestly, we don't need stats to know the truth because we feel it and we live it. I've had late-night calls and early-morning meetings. Shared communal cou-cou with colleagues. Run on adrenaline, laughter, and too many Chefette stops. I've watched these women rise daily with a kind of strength that is soft and steady. It is a privilege to walk beside them and to learn from them, to build with them. To be reminded that leadership doesn't have to shout, it can whisper, check in, and still deliver excellence.

This is more than a festival. It's a moment for us, as Caribbean women, to lead culture with care. To show the next generation what it means to take up space not for applause, but because we earned it. To every girl watching: there's a seat here for you too or better yet build your own table, because we're not just curating culture, we're leading it.

Written by Kim Butcher

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