20th Annual MAC Conference held in Nevis

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.