The caption above does not speak to a carnival of any sort but rather an innovative way whereby government and those so minded can give more efficacy to the national plant better known as the Flamboyant Tree. This article will propose the idea of the caption above as a cheap, creative aspect of our tourism industry.
The Flamboyant Tree or the Delonix regia (its scientific name) or the "Shack Shack Tree" (local name) is the national tree of St. Kitts and Nevis and is native to Madagascar which is an island off the coast of Africa. The flamboyant trees are also called Poinciana Regia after the French General de Poincy who was assigned to St. Kitts (1639-1660). This tree of all the trees in our Federation was chosen as our national tree and we ought to showcase it in a more meaningful way. I would not be surprised if 50% of the people in St Kitts Nevis did not know that the Flamboyant Tree was our national tree. While I do not know why this particular tree was chosen, I submit that its beauty when it is in full bloom would have played no small role in it being chosen.
Just one look at the bank of Flamboyant Trees behind the cemetery at St. Johns Church seizes the onlooker with the true beauty of this lovely tree. To steal a line from the British poet, William Wordsworth, "my heart leaps up when I behold" the beauty of the Flamboyant Tree. This beauty must be showcased to thee world for generations and generations to come.
My proposal is to get community groups involved in planting this tree all around the island along the island main road. My research tells me that the trees take seven to eight years to fully blossom but if we start now we could have a line of flamboyant trees across the island by 2014. The ideal time to start planting these trees is late September/October so we really don't have much time. By 2014 the landscape of Nevis will be transformed into one poignant with the beauty of the Flamboyant Tree. The idea of a Flamboyant Festival then can become a reality by 2014. Nevis' Tourism Department can then look to target visitors to come to the island during the typically slow months of August to October simply to see the trees in full bloom. Environmental groups should also be targeted as well as the people from the Discovery Channel can also come in just to film it and put Nevis on the map. Tourism will always be the mainstay of our economy so it makes sense for us to continue to find ways to develop it. I have always felt that the concept of eco-tourism is not one that both the Federal and local government have focused enough on and this is a good place to start.
We have tried sports tourism, cruise tourism, conference tourism and now I even see casino tourism being explored in St Kitts. However I opine that the idea of eco-tourism would be just as valuable or even more valuable. The Flamboyant Festival will either remind or make locals aware that the Flamboyant Tree is indeed our national tree and it can be a serious selling point for the tourist economy. The Ministry of Tourism can also encourage other craft shops and the like to market craft and wares associated with the tree. The seed pods that we call the "shack shack" locally can make for good music as an aspect of the Flamboyant Festival. The possibilities are endless as I am confident that other people can find even more creative ideas to make this festival truly profitable.
Nevis is a small country with scarce resources and we need to make the most of what we have. Building roads is great but that alone would never aid development. We need to find ways that can inject money into the economy so that these roads can be built or we will keep amassing debt with no revenue to service it. We can sit aside and watch valuable assets like the Flamboyant Tree and others go to waste or we can seek to find creative ways of making money out of what we have. I am a firm believer that God has deposited to every individual and country the necessary amount of resources to be successful. It is up to us to use the resources we have and the ingenuity that God has gifted us with to make our country prosper. We have the Flamboyant Tree. Let us make the most out of it. I for one am looking forward to the First Annual Flamboyant Festival in 2014. Let us make it happen.
