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Distinguished Guests, Staff and Students of CAPAS, Ladies and Gentlemen…
Good evening!
Wow! What a show!
Tonight, we’ve had a glimpse into the future of our Bahamas, and what a talented future it is.
Everything we need to know about that future is on the faces and in the energy of these CAPAS students on stage tonight.
Their enthusiasm and commitment radiated across this space.
If this is what is possible after only 9 weeks of training, then surely, what lies ahead in 9 months or 9 years, takes us into new and even greater realms of possibility.
I wish them all, so well!
While they may not know it as yet, their individual hopes and dreams are bigger than themselves.
They are a part of a national venture.
They are part of our national development.
You see, CAPAS is more than just a place to fulfil individual ambition.
It is the ‘Training Hub’ which will sit at the heart of our new creative economy.
We already have many highly-skilled artists and cultural practitioners in a number of fields.
But many of them face huge challenges because of the structural lack of opportunity in the economy.
By structuring that training, and then building out an infrastructure to support careers in the creative economy, CAPAS will sit at the centre of this new economic sector.
When we build our national Performing Arts Centre, and build our national Film & Television Studios, our highly-skilled, highly-trained group of CAPAS graduates will be ready and able to dive into those opportunities.
Two years ago, at the launch of the consultation phase of CAPAS, I urged everyone to consider the long-term potential and the generational benefits of this new Creative and Performing Arts School.
I said it was like “planting seeds today, so that giant trees may grow long into the future”.
Tonight, we have seen some of the flowers bloom.
My thanks and congratulations to everyone involved in putting on this showcase.
A magnificent start!
WELL DONE CAPAS!