Historic Moment FYI Initiative Foundation Introduces Saba’s Youth to Living Statues | Soualiganewsday

SINT MAARTEN/SABA - A historic cultural moment unfolded at the Child Focus Foundation as children participating in the 2026 Summer Cultural Exchange Program presented a mini–Living Statue Presentation—introducing young participants in Saba to the discipline, creativity and theatrical expression of living-statue performance. Organized by the Funtopia Youth Initiative Foundation, in partnership with the Child Focus Foundation, the workshop allowed students to experience living statues as a complete performing art form rather than simply standing still. Throughout the program, students learned character development, controlled breathing techniques, concentration, facial expression, statue poses, slow-motion movement and methods of silently engaging an audience. They also participated in painting and preparing their own costumes, giving them hands-on experience in transforming an artistic concept into a fully developed living-statue character. The workshop was led by Quair Hodge, a Funtopia performer, youth leader and cultural ambassador who has contributed to the preservation and sustainability of the art form for more than a decade. Hodge’s journey as a living-statue performer gained regional recognition in 2011 when he placed second in the Caribbean Living Statue Presentation in St. Maarten. The presentation was hosted in 2011 and 2012 by Loekie Morales, President of the Beyond Kultura Events Foundation. Since that time, Hodge has continued to perform with Funtopia, further developing his skills while helping to maintain the visibility of living-statue performance at cultural exhibitions, presentations, community events and entertainment productions. His work has also taken him beyond St. Maarten, with opportunities to perform at cultural and carnival festivals in Saba, Statia and Dominica. Today, he is passing this knowledge on to a new generation across the Dutch Caribbean and the wider Kingdom through his role as a youth leader with the Funtopia Youth Initiative Foundation. The continued development of living-statue performance has also been driven by Lucinda “La Rich” Audain, Founder and Creative Director of the Funtopia Youth Initiative Foundation. Audain helped establish the art form as a sustainable cultural feature within Funtopia through ongoing workshops, structured training, mentorship and the presentation of culturally inspired statues at cultural expos and public events. Her creative direction has ensured that living statues are not treated as a temporary attraction, but as a meaningful form of cultural storytelling capable of representing Caribbean history, identity, heritage and imagination. The mini presentation in Saba represented the continuation of this legacy. Children who had never before experienced the art form were given the opportunity to create characters, prepare costumes and present their statues before an audience during the final activities of the Summer Cultural Exchange Program. “This moment represents exactly what cultural sustainability should look like,” said Audain. “An art form introduced more than a decade ago has been preserved by the young people who were trained in it, and today those same performers are becoming cultural ambassadors and teaching the next generation.” The activity demonstrated Funtopia’s youth-development model in action: children are introduced to the arts, trained over time and ultimately empowered to become performers, instructors, mentors and cultural leaders. The historic mini–Living Statue Presentation was more than a final presentation. It marked the passing of cultural knowledge from one generation to another and planted the foundation for living-statue performance to continue growing in Saba, St. Maarten and throughout the Kingdom. Funtopia Youth Initiative Foundation — Inspiring the youth.