The 20th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Museums Association of the Caribbean (MAC) came to a satisfactory conclusion on Friday 14 with a half-day excursion to Nevis.
The Conference was officially opened on Wednesday 12 November at an impressive ceremony at the Frigate Bay Resort Conference Room.
In his welcome address, Sir Probyn Inniss President of the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Society (which, in association with the St. Christopher Heritage Society hosted the Event) described St. Kitts and Nevis as a country which was rich in history and heritage but could still learn much from the collective experience of the fifteen overseas participants, who represented all of the major language groups of the Caribbean.
The President of MAC, Ieteke Witteveen of Curacao, with the memory of the visit to the National Museum and the wonderful cultural presentation of the night before, still fresh, responded that indeed the country possessed a vibrant heritage, but also, as an independent small nation, was an inspiration for much of the colonial Caribbean.
The featured speaker, the Hon. Prime Minister, Dr. Denzil Douglas, challenged MAC “to build bridges between Governments, the Private Sector, Individual Expertise and your Association for the purpose of changing the landscape and the environment in which you operate”, concluding his wide-ranging address with the observation: “The work of heritage organizations is challenging, but I believe that the new order of economic development demands your inclusion into the equation. I am certain that the holistic approach to nation building in the Caribbean must include in large measure, our heritage profiles.”
The Opening Ceremony was earlier enlivened by Husani Parris, ‘De Inspirer’, performing his very appropriate and popular calypso, “Yes we can”.
The Conference which followed, explored the Theme: “Recovering the Heritage of the Caribbean”.
The interactive discussion by the more than 60 participants was preceded by panel presentations of Mrs. Viki O’Flaherty, Government Archivist, who spoke about records and documents from the Caribbean which were owned by others elsewhere; and Mrs. Claudette Jenkins, Registrar of the High Court, who spoke about copyright legislation and intellectual property rights.
That evening, delegates journeyed to the Brimstone Hill Fortress for a tour of the Museum; and were later joined by invited guests to a cultural presentation featuring the Okolo Tegremantine Arts Theatre, the Royalties Band, staff at Brimstone Hill and two well-received renditions by the delegate from St. Lucia.
The Business Session convened on Thursday 13 and concluded at noon on Friday 14. Among the Agenda items were, Elections to the Board of MAC and the formulation of Resolutions; the results of both of which shall be announced later.
WITH a view to implementing proposals emanating from the National Consultation on Crime held last month, Cabinet gave ear to recommendation for the implementation of a task force during its most recent convening. Minister of State with responsibility for Education, Youth Affairs, Labour, Social Security, Information and Technology, the Hon. Nigel Carty, in presenting the January 5, 2009 post-Cabinet briefing said the proposal for the establishment of a task force was made by the Minister of National Security [ Read More... ]
THE office of the Federal Ombudsman is now open for business and Kittitians and Nevisians with legitimate concerns now have an outlet to express their problems. His Excellency Walford Gumbs, a former Speaker of the National Assembly and President of the St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union, was appointed the Federation’s first-ever Ombudsman in August 2008. Gumbs officially assumed the position in October with his formal appointment by the Governor-General acting upon the advice of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Federal Opposition. [ Read More... ]
AFTER careful assessment, the government has concluded that the 2008/09 Carnival Festivities have been a success.According to the Post-Cabinet Briefing presented by Minister of State the Hon. Nigel Carty on Monday, January 5, 2009, Cabinet met on the same day and took the opportunity to make a general
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SPEAKING yesterday (Jan. 6) St. Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas said that his message to the youth for the new year is to “remain focused and to make use of the opportunities which are being provided for them”. “I think to a large extent our young people are challenged. There are several distractions and that is why I stress remaining focused,” Douglas said on his weekly radio program “Ask the Prime Minister”. Staying focused upon personal goals is a vital component to avoiding the distractions of drugs, violence and gangs, D [ Read More... ]
SIX weeks of giveaways in the LIME Christmas Promotion came to an end yesterday (Jan. 6) at the company’s flagship store on Cayon Street, adding two more locals to the US $1 million draw. In this week’s final draw, Marilyn Liburd, owner of Lyn’s MiniMart located at Central Fiennes Avenue and Sharmaine Simmonds of Nevis were the lucky channel vendors, winning EC $500 each. Luck was definitely on Liburd’s side when she won the grand prize of EC $5000 in the final Channel Vendors Draw, which consisted of the 12 winning vendors [ Read More... ]
Civil servants have been called upon to serve the public in a professional manner and that sloppiness and indiscipline will not be tolerated. Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas in his first “Ask the Prime Minister” radio programme on Tuesday challenged the officers to discharge their duties with humility.
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The Nevis Island Administration (NIA) wasted no time in setting about its pledge to reduce the island’s debt and control public spending for 2009. In a press statement issued on Tuesday January 6, 2009, Chief Financial Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Laurie Lawrence stated that the NIA was seeking to lead by example and has invested in technology through the use of a Cash and Call Accounting system. [ Read More... ]
The closure of the Four Seasons Resort in Nevis is being seen as a blow to tourism St. Kitts and Nevis. Federal Minister of State for Tourism, Sen. the Hon. Richard Skerritt said the closure will “hurt the federation in several ways,” including fewer visitors on the ground spending. Senator Skerrit told BBC Caribbean that St. Kitts and Nevis would also be hurt because a percentage of the visitors were arriving on international airlift that the government had contracted with airlines like British Airways to supply. [ Read More... ]
THOUGH the world is currently facing gross economic and financial decline expected to continue through most of 2009, the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino has reconfirmed its commitments to weather the storm and ensure the continued contributions of the hotel to the nation.General Manager of the Resort Flor van der Vaart told SKNVibes that 2008 started as a very fruitful year for the hotel primarily due to the hurricane impact on Mexico resulting in its business being diverted to the other islands.
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West Indies captain Chris Gayle has indicated that Wednesday’s encounter against New Zealand will be a crucial part in the five-match One-Day Series. Speaking ahead of the match at Westpac Stadium, Wellington Gayle noted that his team is focusing on taking a 2-0 lead, with two matches remaining. “You could say this is sort of a final. If we win, we go 2-0 and that would put a lot of pressure on New Zealand. That’s what we are aiming for,” Gayle said. “We have confidence and we have momentum. But we are not over-confident, [ Read More... ]
FORMER calypso monarch of St. Kitts, Ellie Matt said he is prepared to enter any calypso competition with anyone, including the four-peat National Calypso Monarch King Konris, and hopes it could become a reality soonest. The legendary calypsonian, whose real name is Elston Nero, said the young phenomenon [Konris Maynard] is boastful and that his competition was light because some of the big names in calypso were not in the 2008/09 Finals. “His idea of calypso does not sit well with me. His father can’t beat me and his uncle couldn’t beat me,” [ Read More... ]
The ad-hoc committee set up to review payroll tax is expected to submit its report to the Premier and Minister for Finance Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE within the first half of this year. Making this disclosure yesterday during the third sitting of the second session of the First House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands, Honourable O’Neal said the committee has been meeting on a regular basis. Once its work is complete, a report will be compiled and referred to Cabinet for a decision to be taken on what [ Read More... ]
The BVITU has donated a total of 75 cots; 25 to the BVI Red Cross, 25 to the Virgin Islands Cadet Corps and 25 to the BVI Department of Disaster Management. The presentation took place on the 23rd December at the BVI Red Cross office. Mrs. Edris O’Neal the Director of the BVI Red Cross accepted on behalf of the Red Cross and stated that the local Red Cross is an organization that depends heavily on donations from individuals and businesses in the community. She thanked the BVITU, [ Read More... ]
Government is reporting a slowdown in the growth of new incorporations in the financial services sector but there is optimism about the future. Premier and Minister for Finance Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE made the disclosure today as he responded to a question posed by the Leader of the Opposition during the third sitting of the second session of the First House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands.
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The Ministry of Education and Culture and the Department of Education hosted a one-day Teachers’ Professional Development Day on Monday at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College which was greatly supported.Minister for Education and Culture, Hon. Andrew Fahie acknowledged the huge turnout of principals and teachers and saluted them for their effort, dedication and determination to succeed as a lot was accomplished in the last school term. “There is always room for improvement but we did well”, Mr. Fahie said. [ Read More... ]
Mr. Speaker, to date, the Government of the Virgin Islands has paid a total of forty-four million, seven hundred and ninety-three thousand, three hundred and twenty-six dollars and thirty-four cents ($44,793,326.34) to CARIMEX for the New Hospital Project. [ Read More... ]
Mister Speaker plans are in progress to commence the Commission of Enquiry into the alleged evasion of stamp duty on land transfers. To date, the Terms of Reference have been established and discussions are being held with a view of selecting a Commissioner. [ Read More... ]
The quintessence of Ms. Donella Dias is captured in the unique blend of her charisma, intelligence, poise and wit. Born on May 20th 1984 to Daniel O’Garro and Shirley Dias, this Kittitian beauty has cherished her family life, having had the pleasure of growing up in a large family, with seven (7) brothers and six (6) sisters.