Government launches cultural heritage project

by David Hinkson

As Barbados makes its transition to a parliamentary republic and continues to seek new ways to rebuild its economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, tapping into our traditional ways of life in an effort to forge our identity on the world stage will be an integral part of the process.

To this end, the Government has launched an Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Committee, which began its work earlier this year.

Chairman of the National ICH Committee, Rodney Grant, stated that “We are a nation still struggling with our identity, and the only way we can truly advance as a nation is if we fully embrace who we are as a people.”

Speaking Thursday at a UNESCO-sponsored event entitled, “Intangible Cultural Heritage in Motion” at the Barbados Museum, Grant said, “This project is aimed at sensitising Barbadians regarding our cultural heritage, and we are working within parameters set by UNESCO which look at oral traditions, craftsmanship, rituals and festivals and the performing arts. We are presently talking to some of the “knowledge bearers” within our community, such as artisans, calypsonians and so on, and we also want to talk to young people as we seek to build on this heritage and ensure it remains relevant to future generations.

“Therefore, we have a significant amount of work ahead of us to showcase all the elements that make us unique as a people, and since we are talking about rebuilding our economy, the cultural industries can come into play here. As we document these practices, we can then use them to develop cultural products in spoken word, film and music. We have not yet begun to tap into these things, but ultimately they will have major economic value.”

Meanwhile, Director of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society, Dr. Alissandra Cummins, stated that, “Heritage sites, for example, cannot be divorced from the traditional practices, and this committee has started an important work given the support for the retention of indigenous knowledge and community traditions.”

Citing a recent article, Cummins noted, “The pandemic has created a portal which has forced the world to break with the past and embrace new things. Now we can either go through this portal burdened with all the negativity of our past, or travel lightly, seeking to build on the positives and looking forward to the new opportunities that lie ahead. Embracing our intangible cultural heritage is one way in which we can do that.”

To illustrate the importance of cultural traditions, there was a demonstration of the Barbadian martial art of stick-licking put on by students from the Theatre Arts Department of the Barbados Community College, and poet Cyndi Celeste, who was one of the featured artistes at the ceremony held to celebrate Barbados’ transition to a parliamentary republic on November 30, performed her piece entitled “Barbadiana.”