Camille Baly
MADAME ESTATE--The Department of Culture of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport will be hosting the inaugural Sage Cultural Award ceremony which is to award a range of honourees, including cultural and creative professionals and artistes in all fields, at the ALEEZE Convention Center and Event Hall in Madame Estate at 6:00pm, Saturday, November 26.
The late Camille E. Baly was a former head of the Department of Culture and a champion of St. Maarten’s cultural heritage and history. As such, his family will receive a special Visionary of Cultural Legacy Award in his honour.
Additionally, 10 of St. Maarten’s cultural icons were selected by Selection Committee and will be receiving their individual Sage Cultural Award on Saturday evening.
The community is asked to join the celebration via live stream on the Department of Culture’s Facebook page.
The purpose of the Sage Cultural Award is to create a platform where local creative geniuses are showcased and awarded.
“St. Maarten’s creative potential is enormous and positively influences nation building and our economy,” the Department of Culture said in a press release on Tuesday.
“St. Maarten is steadily progressing into a major Caribbean cultural and creative hub, not only in cultural diversity, but also in artistic vibrancy, resilience and innovation.”
The gala consists of an evening of celebration, honouring, entertainment and dancing. “We aim to stimulate greater cultural awareness of our dynamic Cultural Creative Industry (CCI) and its four main components heritage, arts, media and creative services. Such an event can encourage emerging entrepreneurs to continue to enhance their creative products and services, thereby adding value to St. Maarten’s current ‘cultural evolution’,” the Department of Culture said.
