By Denis Chabrol Georgetown, Guyana

Participants have come from more than thirty countries including Brazil, Venezuela, Morocco, St Maarten, Suriname, Cuba and the Dominican Republic to fuse aspects of their culture with those of the English-speaking Caribbean.

Until August 31, there'll be staged cultural events at various venues, symposia on the state and future of Caribbean culture, dances, folk singing, plays, fashion shows, culinary arts and book-launches.

If the upbeat mood of top planners and politicians is anything to go by, then Carifesta X is already a success.

It opened at the Providence Cricket Stadium that has been transformed from a Cricket World Cup venue to a mega multi-cultural stage.

The only things reminding its audience that it was a cricket venue were the scoreboards as well as the covers rolled out on the pitch and sections of the outfield in case of unseasonal August rainfall.

But the rain did not seem to spoil anyone's enjoyment of the festival.