Bahamian culture will be displayed at its very best during a cultural festival to be held next month at Arawak Cay.
The Bahamas Heritage Festival scheduled for March 4-8, will be the realisation of a dream of the partnership between The Bahamas and the Smithsonian – restaging the festival on Bahamian soil.
The proposed festival will be more than a re-enactment of the Folklife Festival held in Washington, it will be a well-staged event which incorporates all elements of the country’s rich traditions, said Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe.
The Bahamas has a rich culture, with folklore, music, dance, architecture and other customs, traditions and rituals traced to our African, European and American heritage, and while much of these traditions are under stress from other cultures due to global mass media, satellite and now the internet, we still have much of which we can be proud,” he said.
Minister Wilchcombe said the Heritage Festival will not only showcase the Bahamian authentic culture for the enjoyment both of visitors and Bahamians, but it should serve to stimulate national pride and the passing of traditions to another generation.
“I believe that in The Bahamas we have more than held our own. Junkanoo is as vibrant, colorful and exciting as it has ever been. In fact, it has never been stronger, more articulate or even more flexible as Junkanoo artisans experiments with new styles, techniques and interpretations. Bahamians have never taken more pride in their own food and in the way we present our food to our visitors as we do now, and we find confirmation of this in the number of Bahamian executives chefs who qualify themselves daily in some of the busiest kitchens in the top hotels in the country,” he said.
“If we want our young people to understand whence we originated, what it took to get us here, then they have to understand the way we interpret our way of life, and the way we look at life. Our young people have copied other cultures, sometimes for the worst, and sometimes which good intentions, but there is no substitute for being grounded in one’s own culture,” he added.
The Heritage Festival will provide an opportunity to celebrate with traditional bearers and young artisans from around the Bahamas, drawn from various clusters including, music, dance, storytelling and it is hoped that this festival would become an annual event.
“Our visitors come here for the kind of experience that only we can provide. They want to taste our food. They want to hear our dialect and the musical way we use the English language. They want to learn our songs and stories that have been shaped by life in these here islands. They don’t come just to enjoy high rise, air conditioned hotels, they want to leave here feeling that they have learnt something from another people and culture whose values and norms differ from their own,” Minister Wilchcombe said.
And noting that the Arawak Cay Fish and Conch vendors have on their own and without the help of textbook economists, created one of the most exciting commercial zones in this country, by exposing visitors and Bahamians to traditional fried fish and conch salad, the tourism minister said there is a need to develop a second layer of enterprise at the site.
“We need to build on the success of the fish and conch salad vendors and put in place the culture and presentation and make Arawak Cay the place where visitors to Nassau, and Paradise Island will have to come for that authentic Bahamian cultural experience,” he said.
“The Government has provided the infrastructure and the model in this festival for what can be done here. The rest is now up to the private sector to come forward and take advantage of the public facilities here at Arawak Cay and create a sustainable product that would not only add to the visitor experience but create new economic opportunities for Bahamians,” the tourism minister said.
By Keva Lightbourne, The Nassau Guardian
