Musical family named Cultural Ambassadors

Internationally renowned United Kingdom-based musical family – the Kanneh-
Masons – has been named Antigua and Barbuda’s Cultural Ambassadors.
The announcement came on Saturday night during a special concert – Playing to
Inspire 5 – that featured members of the Kanneh-Mason family, playing alongside
the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestra (ABYSO) and special
guests. The concert was held at the St. John’s Pentecostal House of Restoration on
Lauchland Benjamin Drive.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne made the announcement, noting that the special
designation includes the parents of the seven musical siblings, six of whom
performed during Saturday night’s concert.
The prime minister especially lavished praise on the parents – Stuart and Kadiatu
Kanneh-Mason – for being the ‘epitome’ of what parenting ought to be, noting that
they raised their children to become outstanding role models for young people
everywhere.
“I’m very proud!” Stuart Mason, the father of the siblings, declared, “ It’s an
honour, especially given that my parents were both from Antigua and Barbuda. My
father has passed but my mother is here with us, and at 88 years old, this has been
their dream coming to fruition.”
He said he is also pleased to see the great strides that the Antigua and Barbuda
Youth Symphony Orchestra has been making over the past five years. “To see the
children of ABYSO doing so beautifully, I am so glad to be a part of that. My wife
and I couldn’t have been more proud of our children, but more importantly, the
ABYSO children, it has been an incredible evening,” he continued.
On the issue of Cultural Ambassadors, he said for him it means one thing, giving
back. “People look at the children and note their achievements, but we have had a
lot of support along the way. This is our opportunity to give something back, but
also to continue to learn because every time the children come here, they learn so
much. So this appointment means inspiring, giving back, and supporting ABYSO
on this journey,” he remarked.
His hope, he added, is to see ABYSO continue to grow to where the concert
becomes a major social and cultural fixture on the annual Calendar of Events for
Antigua and Barbuda.