BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - LIKE many territories in the region, the people of St. Kitts and Nevis have a long history and culture dating back to slavery and what their ancestors did to develop the Federation’s uniqueness, which is slowly being lost.
But there is a bright light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, as culture officials in the Federation have now received funding under a new project to ensure that the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is sustained and preserved for generations to come - making St. Kitts and Nevis the first nation to undertake such a project.
Pierre Liburd, Director of Culture, described the launch of the new project as a critical moment for the country as it seeks to solidify the intangible culture for the people of the Federation.
He believes that it is time that the two islands move to preserve the culture and skill set that are unique to St. Kitts and Nevis for the growth and development of the people and generations to come.
At yesterday’s (Mar. 23) launch, it was acknowledged by seniors that a number of aspects of the intangible culture have been lost historically.
UNESCO’s Consultant, Nigel Encalada commended the the Federation for its efforts in leading the drive to sustain ICH, noting that the country has seen successes over the first installment of the cultural project back in 2018.
He acknowledged the work that the Federation is doing, emphasizing that the territory is the first in the world to develop an Intangible Cultural Heritage Policy, which he stressed signals that the people and cultural of St. Kitts-Nevis are important.
But even as the project was launched, calls are being made for the level of respect to be shown to the creatives who put their efforts into developing the artwork and other initiatives to preserve the heritage.
UNESCO’s Secretariat General, Dorothy Warner charged the public to ensure that the same level of respect given to international products be given to the local intangible culture or else all of the hard work would not be sustained.
