Minister of Education and Attorney General Alfred Sears moved the Bill which calls for the establishment of a Clifton Heritage Authority to hold, maintain, preserve, promote and develop Clifton Heritage as a national park and historic site.
In addition, the authority would be responsible for the running and management of the site and to establish a cultural resource centre which would promote the site’s history.
The cost of acquiring the property and completing the project is still under negotiations by the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister.
Mr Sears said the Bill is extremely timely as Clifton is an important part of the county’s patrimony.
He noted the site’s rich cultural history as the only known multi-cultural historical and archaeological site in the country.
“The sites still preserved at Clifton may represent the last opportunity to learn about the daily lives of the people who first made the island their home,” he said.
According to Mr Sears, Clifton can become a “living museum” catering to Bahamians and tourists alike.
He noted that in addition to preserving the pre-historic and historic sites, the wetlands, marine environment, bird life, and other wildlife and trees and forests must be preserved.
“Clifton is indeed a unique historic landscape in the country. We believe that in creating the Clifton Heritage Authority we can make a viable economic asset and at the same time preserve and showcase its historic integrity.”
In seconding the Bill, Culture Minister Neville Wisdom said 208 acres of the Clifton property have been surveyed and holds the heritage of three cultures: the Lucayans, the Africans and the colonial settlers, and includes some of the last coppice in New Providence as well as outlands, a coastline and an offshore reef system “The importance of this singular site is beyond measure… In short, the site at Clifton is a meeting ground of cultural, environmental and historical significance.”
He said the preservation of the site is critical to the country’s heritage and to the world.
“We must move to establish Clifton not only as a national heritage site, but as a World Heritage site as well.”
He added that preserving the site would also have sound economic significance to the country as a venue for cultural tourism.
Mr Wisdom said a 2001 report on cultural and historic tourism reported that visitors to historic sites stay longer and spend more money than any other kind of tourist.
“Visitors to historic and cultural attractions spend on average $632 per trip compared to $457 for all US travellers, and they spend an average of 4.7 nights away from home as compared to 3.4 nights for all other travellers.
Heritage tourism provides for the diversification of local economies and the preservation, not destruction of a community’s unique character.
Mr Wisdom said the protection, restoration and marketing of Clifton is important to the education of this generation and those to come, in every sense. It will be a living museum teaching our youngsters about themselves and their history; at the same time it will be a tourist attraction of some magnitude earning those youngsters and their families a living for years to come.
By Cara Brennen, The Tribune
