NCF on a mission to keep culture alive

by Shamar Blunt

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) has launched innovative and modern projects to keep Barbadian creativity alive, against the background of the cancellation of Crop Over and the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA), the two most high-profile events on the island’s cultural calendar.

Chief Executive Officer Carol Roberts-Reifer made the disclosure in her remarks during a cultural showcase at the Daphne Joseph Hackett Theatre, entitled Tings Bajan, featuring a group of local entrepreneurs who were part of the NCF’s cultural catalogue.

She said the NCF realised there was a need to push forward in delivering new and creative products that best showcase true Barbadian culture, and because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the creative sector, it is the right time to push even harder to give local artists opportunities to develop their craft.

“The hiatus caused by the pandemic and the subsequent cancellations of the festivals provided the timely opportunity for us to pause and re-evaluate our work and programmes at the NCF. Out of this exercise, we crafted a new programme strategy to both document and reimagine our intangible cultural heritage,” Roberts-Reifer said.

“I feel strongly that in an age of uncertainty, it is critical that we hold fast to the elements that identify and symbolise who we are; that in the environment of, and discourse on, reparations, tolerance, diversity, Black Lives Matter and national identity, that we must recognise and celebrate our core cultural values and the very best of the Barbadian personality,” she insisted.

Initiatives which the NCF undertook during the months of lockdown included the Cultural Grant, which provided much needed funds for local creatives and artists to launch their unique projects.

However, Roberts-Reifer was most proud of other initiatives that came from the team at the NCF. One such project is All Aboard, a five-part, 60-second animation series dedicated to teaching the ins and outs of the Barbados Landship.

This project is a significant one for Roberts-Reifer who sees the Barbados Landship as a true landmark organisation within Barbadian culture.

“There is no doubt that the Barbados Landship does hold a special place in our hearts, and our acknowledgement of things Bajan. From the movements to the history, to the uniforms, to the story of the Barbados Landship is right here, and it should reside in the heart of every Barbadian. So we wanted to teach children and children at heart about the Barbados Landship, in a format that is fun, informative, and interactive,” she explained.

Other projects launched by the NCF on Wednesday include Tuk Tables and ABCs, which will be short animated clips that teach children educational staples in a fun, Barbadian way, with tuk band music.

Also launched was a new online Bajan catalogue called Get it Now. This new online platform will be a one-stop shop for consumers to browse through pages of Barbadian producers and their work – from music, to books, to arts and craft.

The website will provide space for artists to showcase a wide variety of locally made items. (SB)