A recent corporate partnership will benefit the Vincentian diaspora greatly this Christmas season.

This week, it was announced that Invest SVG,{{more}} the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Columbus Communica­tions Inc. and the National Nine Mornings Committee have partnered in an

effort to bring the Nine Mornings festivities to the homes of people living abroad.

Christopher Gordon, Columbus Communica­tions Inc. country manager told journalists that the company will be providing up to 100 mega bytes of wireless internet at select Nine Mornings festivities across St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“Specifically, what we would do is provide wifi at select Nine Mornings festivals; free wifi to the public, free wifi to patrons. We know how important it is for persons to share the activities, the sites and the sounds to their families overseas. We know the impact of social media, of technology, of how using these tools can help persons thousands of miles away in the cold far from home to feel like they’re home,” Gordon said.

The country manager added that it was the hope that the partnership continue in years to come and help to enable the festival to become an even larger part of the society.

Executive director of Invest SVG, Bernadette Ambrose-Black noted that this partnership was an opportunity to get local people, as well as those in the diaspora, involved in events within the country.

“Nine Mornings brings together all sectors in society and the Vincentian diaspora should be no different. Invest SVG will continue in its plight to involve the diaspora in every aspect in Vincentian life, to bridge the gap between the host country, St Vincent and the Grenadines and those persons living within the diaspora, whether it be in Europe, North America or within the Caribbean region itself,” she said.

“We believe that persons living in the diaspora not only contribute to the economic growth of St Vincent and the Grenadines, but they actually contribute to political and social life as well. We believe this will be a great thrust in propelling and promoting the cultural and creative industries. This is our attempt to facilitate a more enabling, participatory and inclusionary role for Vincentian persons living within the diaspora.”

Chairman of the Nine Mornings Committee, Michael Peters, as well as the deputy chairman, Lennox Bowman expressed gratitude to Columbus Communications Inc. for their contribution to the festival, both in cash and kind.

In his remarks, Bowman noted that it was not easy to find proper partners for such an event. He further stated that funding was extremely important in order to produce a festival of quality.

“Whether you have funding or not, you’re going to have a festival, you’re going to have Nine Mornings. What funding does is to help us have a better Nine Mornings, help us to achieve our objectives, help us to fully promote our cultural value and full potential of Nine Mornings. Herein lies the importance of the partnering between these three entities,” he said.

Peters echoed the deputy chairman’s sentiments as he pointed out that such partnerships help to significantly improve activities in rural areas.

He further revealed that the number of communities with Nine Mornings activities is expected to increase this year. He also noted that Nine Mornings remains critical to the success and development of the country on an economic level, as it is a time when most visitors come to the multi-island state.

“This involvement by Flow (Columbus Communications Inc) allows us to deepen the connection with the diaspora. We know that there are — especially second and third generation Vincentians — who have never experienced Nine Mornings. There are Vincentians in the Caribbean who are at universities and struggle to explain to their friends what Nine Mornings is. Now they can see and feel the sounds and excitement of the festival,” Peters said. (BK)