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| Cultural Group |
Basseterre, St. Kitts August 18th, 2005 A cultural-tourism initiative, has been organized to showcase the traditions of Afro-Caribbean heritage and to promote the islands tourism product. Veterans of the St. Kitts Folklore community will share the countrys traditions with the United Kingdoms (UK) public.
A sixteen member cultural contingent, led by Ava Henry, dance specialist, in the Department of Culture, left the Federation for the United Kingdom on a cultural exchange. The group comprises members of the Okolo Tegremantine Arts Theatre, Jingle Bells String Band and veteran Masquerade players.
They are expected to perform at Aberdare Carnival Street Parade, Wales and Leeds Carnival. While in Wales, the folklore group will perform at one of the top theatres there. In addition they will conduct workshops in Afro-Caribbean dance, folk drumming and string band instruments.
Further, the group will make stops in Manchester and Birmingham, where they will perform for the Kittitian and Nevisian Diaspora. A number of these events will be covered by top media houses, such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Elroy Sports Brown, a member of the Okolo Tegremantine Arts Theatre said that he feels proud about going to perform in Wales. No matter how many times you execute a performance, seeing peoples enthusiastic response always gives a good feeling . Dance specialist Ava Henry says, I have travelled often with our performers and I have noticed that our culture is unique.
Exposure such as this, gives us the opportunity to learn new things and enhance our performance . St. Kitts is no stranger to sharing its folk-lore traditions with others, as a group of masqueraders recently returned from participating in the Tobago Heritage Festival. Ava further shared that, performing our traditions at various events gives me a deeper sense of appreciation for my culture .
The cultural-tourism initiative is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Tourism, Sports & Culture and the St. Kitts & Nevis High Commission. This exchange is one of the avenues pursued to enhance our folk-lore product, in tandem with the marketing of St. Kitts as a premiere holiday destination.
