Law firm Harneys has been delighted to be part of one of Cayman’s most important cultural events of the year, Gimistory, which took place at venues across the islands last week.

Gimistory is now in its 17th year and is a fantastic week-long event that brings local and international storytellers together, not only showcasing Cayman’s individual cultural heritage but that of the Caribbean as a whole.

Harneys has been a part of Gimistory for the past two years, this year sponsoring world-famous storyteller, comedian and singer Lord Relator for the 2014 event.

Marco Martins, Managing Partner, Harneys Cayman, explained said the firm was delighted to be involved in this fantastic national storytelling festival.

“Last year we were visited in the office for a story telling luncheon with Mr Alton Chung, a master storyteller participating in Gimistory who grew up with the stories, superstitions, and magic of the Hawaiian Islands. This, combined with his Japanese and Korean roots, gives him a unique perspective to tell cultural tales and personal stories with a deep sense of reverence and authenticity. We were so impressed by his talent we decided to sponsor the event this year as well, as one of the head sponsors,” said Marco.

Marco said Gimistory was an important part of Cayman’s cultural and educational broadening because it included stories and music from Cayman, the wider Caribbean and beyond. It also included youth elements, as the storytellers visit schools for fun-filled performances during the festival.

“The school visits are an important part of the entire event for us because youth development and education are two key areas of life in Cayman that we wish to promote and further,” said Marco. “In addition, historically, Gimistory is a particularly good event that attracts the entire public, local and expat alike, a brilliant gathering of the local community as a whole. This is definitely something we want to promote.”

Marco said Gimistory provided the perfect opportunity for staff members to get involved and enjoy the festivities along the way. He said staff were particularly excited the firm was able to facilitate Lord Relator’s appearance at the 2014 festival.

“Lord Relator is extremely popular the world over,” he said. “From Trinidad, Lord Relator is a great singer and musician, hilarious comedian and a brilliant mimic. In particular he does a fantastic Louis Armstrong impression! He really is a tremendous talent.”

Henry Muttoo, Artistic Director at the Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF) said the event could not have been produced without the kind sponsorship of organisations such as Harneys.

“CNCF would like to thank Harneys for being a continued supporter of our GIMISTORY festival,” he said. “For the second time Harneys sponsored an international storyteller, which this year was the extremely talented Lord Relator. With the sponsorship Harneys provided, we were able to pay for the flights and accommodation for this storyteller. The Gimistory festival is a one-week, free event for the entire community. Without this support we would not be able to provide this magical event year after year. Lord Relator very much enjoyed his time with Harneys, performing for them and answering their questions. GIMISTORY was a huge success and thank you to Harneys for keeping the art of storytelling alive in our community.”

About Harneys

Harneys is a leading global law firm with offices in the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montevideo, London, Cyprus, Hong Kong and Singapore, with representatives in Brazil, Russia/CIS/CEE, Africa and New Zealand. Its lawyers are consistently recognised by top directories including Legal 500, Chambers and IFLR.

Harneys’ fast-growing, dynamic Cayman Islands team reflect the firm’s core attributes of experienced commercial advice, transparent pricing and a promise to meet its clients’ timelines. The firm’s clients include hedge fund managers, leading international law firms, major financial institutions and corporations.

Harneys is a caring, forward-looking and responsible participant in the local community. They believe that through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, their collective contributions to the community bring them closer together as an organisation and allow them to invest in the future of the places where they live and work.

Photo Caption: L-R (Front line) Charles Bodden, Nidie Eden, Elkie Rose, Lord Relator, Shivonne Mitchell and Erick Faustino. (Rear Line) Chloe Hawkins, Isidora Eden, Esther Rivers, Teneisha Wilson and Maggie Dixon