CARIFESTA XV Global Media Head Calls on Caribbean and Diaspora Media to Cover with Intention

Josanne Leonard - Global Communications Director, CARIFESTA XV

With less than a month to go until CARIFESTA XV, Global Communications Director Josanne Leonard is issuing a powerful call to Caribbean and diaspora media to cover the festival with intention, heart, and cultural pride.

Leonard, a respected regional voice in cultural communications emphasized that CARIFESTA is more than an arts showcase — it is a vital act of cultural self-recognition and regional connection.

“We have not done enough to bring Caribbean people into the front and centre of CARIFESTA, which is our big time to show off ourselves and celebrate ourselves,” Leonard stated. “Culture is not just performance. It’s how we eat, our language, how we express ourselves, the way we move….and we deserve to be seen, heard, and felt across the region and diaspora.”

She acknowledged that media partnerships power Caribbean cultural visibility, saying the reach of the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) including CBC (Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation), CaribVision, One Caribbean Media, UWI TV and the plethora of online platforms across the region and its diaspora, is critical. Key partners to help share the regional message include the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, and other agencies in Barbados like Export Barbados, Invest Barbados and the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.

“In 2017, Barbados set a high bar for CARIFESTA broadcasting with CARIFESTATV,” “This time we aim to go even further and engage the Diaspora: UK, USA, Canada & Europe, and our friends in other countries, especially in ancestral regions like Africa and India,” said Leonard. 

CARIFESTA XV TV has the opportunity to engage diaspora-serving networks such as Irie Jam Radio (New York), Caribbean Riddims & WAVS 1170 AM (Florida), Island TV and Caribbean One TV (USA), CaribDirect and ABN TV (UK), BEN TV and TGM Radio (UK/Europe).“Whether you’re in Point Fortin, Mandeville, Powis Square, Flatbush or Brixton — we want to reach you,” Leonard said. “We’re encouraging watch parties, community screenings, and online streams in every corner of the Caribbean world.”   She cited Barbados’ own plan to mount community screens across the island.

Leonard also called for media coverage before the festival’s 10 days, encouraging content creators to engage in pre-festival storytelling, interviews, and cultural conversations.

“It’s not just about advertising. It’s about capturing the soul of the event,” she said. “Just like we tune in for the World Cup or Miss Universe, CARIFESTA deserves our full attention — not as a spectacle, but as a reflection of who we are.”

As CARIFESTA XV unfolds in Barbados from August 22 to 31, the invitation is clear: Regional diaspora and international media are not just observers — they are cultural carriers.