Above: Antigua (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Antigua and Barbuda will be hosting a joint cultural festival this spring with partners including Haiti, Martinique and Guadeloupe.

The French-Antigua and Barbuda Cultural Festival, which will last from May 9 to May 15, will draw artists and performers from Haiti, Guadeloupe and Martinique, featuring an exhibition and joint workshops.

Antigua will be appointing a steering committee to plan and coordinate the event, which will have representation from Haiti, Martinique and Guadeloupe.

The festival is one of several initiatives agreed upon during bilateral discussions between Antigua and Haiti at the CARICOM summit in Haiti last week, including enhanced cooperation in tourism and a programme to teach English to Haitians and French to Antiguans and Barbudans.

Both programmes will be self-financing, according to the Antiguan government.

They follow an agreement signed between Haiti and Antigua in the area of hospitality training in January.