The Bahamas Heritage Festival will be held at Arawak Cay in Nassau from March 4 through 8, 2003 and will embrace visitors with the rich culture of the islands-country including folklore, music, dance, architecture, cuisine and other indigenous local customs, traditions and rituals. Admittance is free!!.
The major event will be sponsored by The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and is a re-creation of a similar event the country participated in with the Smithsonian Institute’s Festival of American Folklife, which took place in Washington, D.C. in 1994. With more visitors expressing an interest in discovering the “real” Bahamas, the Festival will showcase its unique culture with genuine and celebrate traditionalists and artisans from the 700 islands that comprise The Islands of The Bahamas. In addition to folklore, storytelling and even boatbuilding, there will also be a well-organized Children’s program, including traditional games and an educational component designed by the Smithsonian Institute.
The renaissance of the Festival is due in part to the overwhelming success and impact the original event had on Bahamians. One of the results was a resource for teachers titled “Our Bahamian Heritage: Resource Guide for Teachers” which has been used to educate students in Bahamian schools since 1996, as well as a full array of archival records, documents, photographs and educational materials which adhered to the high standards of the Smithsonian Institute.
