Bajan Culture Alive and Well
by Angela Goring
Our culture is alive and well !
Our culture is alive and well !
I speak of no other place than Barbados, my Island
home. Every year during our festival of creative arts we see the little ones
performing skits and songs; although, new ways of putting them over and adding
new touches, the inherent Barbadianisms still abound. It does not matter what
age you are, you are still able to connect with your past.
NIFCA,(National Independence Festival of Creative
Arts) the festival of which I speak is really the National Independence festival of creative
Arts. This festival was born several decades ago to co-incide with our
Independence celebrations. It was the brainchild of the late Arden Clarke, an
attorney ; his wife,the late, Jeannette Layne-Clarke, an accomplished
broadcaster and writer, and a group of other cultural visionaries.
The idea behind NIFCA was to discover and showcase the
best talent the Island had to offer. The artforms covered being: music, drama,
dance, visual arts, photography, literary and culinary arts.
Participants are awarded for their achievements with
gold, silver and bronze medals. Professionals who enter NIFCA compete for the
Governor General’s Award of Excellence.
There is an abundance of talent within our 166 square
miles. Every year the young people of this country come with amazing new ways
to showcase their talent. We wait with bated breath to see what new ideas they
have conceptualized to show off their talents. We are never disappointed!
In the culinary section we see new and exciting ways
to show off the expertise of turning our locally produced into world class
master pieces.
This year 2012 is no different. The Tradition of
Excellence continues!
Click on this link for a taste of Bajan Tuk Band music:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8jwqcu3CbQ&feature=em-share_video_user
Click on this link for a taste of Bajan Tuk Band music:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8jwqcu3CbQ&feature=em-share_video_user
Traditional Barbadian Tuk band with stiltman. |
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