By Candia Dames -
Bahamas:



A working draft of the National Cultural Policy confirms what many observers have been saying for years: key aspects of Bahamian culture are under threat and in some cases face extinction.

The draft was prepared by Director of Culture Dr. Nicolette Bethel, and Dr. Daniel Glaser, a National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) Cultural Awardee.

The proposed policy document says the fundamental aliteracy of Bahamian society has resulted in a lack of value being placed on research and critical analysis.

"The result of this state of affairs is that traditional cultural forms are disappearing without record," the document notes. "Further, the lack of research feeds into the overall poor self-conception of the average Bahamian."


It also points out that the arts are generally seen to be spontaneous outpourigs of creativity rather than crafts and skills that must be honoured and developed.

"This romantic fallacy has led to an explosion of mediocrity in the arts, and has seriously impaired The Bahamas’ ability to compete in a global environment." Drs. Bethel and Glaser pointed out.

They also indicated that the administration of culture in The Bahamas is spread among agencies too numerous to itemize. It’s partly why Prime Minister Perry Christie recently transferred the culture portfolio to his office, while noting that there will be a renewed focus on culture.

In fact, when he announced his Cabinet reshuffle last Tuesday night, Mr. Christie said, "It is important to the development of our national identity and to the deepening of Bahamian culture generally that we bring the highest level of government support to the efforts of our artists and artisans."

The proposed National Cultural Policy said that even the first steps towards a rationalization of the situation as it existed prior to the prime minister’ announcement "will bear considerable fruit".

The drafters also said that cultural activity is "stymied" by the general lack of cultural infrastructure in the form of specialist schools and training facilities, performance spaces, galleries, libraries, bookstores, recording studios, and workshops throughout The Bahamas.

"Though New Providence and Grand Bahama may have some of this infrastructure, the Family Islands are virtually bereft," the draft says.

It added, "Possible reasons for the lack of development of such facilities include a focus on populist forms of expression and a categorization of all formal training as elitist; aliteracy, which has effectively stopped the development of a national library system; ghettoization of various art forms; a general shortage of available funding for the arts, resulting in competition among art forms rather than cooperation; and a definition of Bahamian culture that privileges certain forms of expression over others."

Pointing to another aspect of culture, the drafters noted that the number of guitar, piano, banjo, and accordion players, as well as versatile drummers, is on the decline.

Very few Bahamians remain who can play the traditional Spence-style guitar and folk banjo, they said.

"This is in large part the effect of massive social changes that have made home-based entertainment technology ubiquitous, and a weakening of extended family structures," the draft document states. "As a result, the musical traditions are no longer being passed down within the family unit."

Drs. Bethel and Glaser further noted that while these social changes are commonly discussed, the specific influence on the immediate future of Bahamian music has not been analyzed, much less addressed.

They also said that Bahamian musical forms are unable to be marketed globally because the quality of the product does not meet international standards, noting that the main reason for this is because in The Bahamas, musical production is limited to live performances, and low-budget home recordings and videos.

The draft says emphasis needs to be placed on supporting and training musicians, producers, writers, arrangers, engineers, videographers and editors.

It adds that consideration should be given to providing government loan scholarships for this training, and says local educational institutions should also be encouraged to develop courses in these areas, and grants to assist with the support of this production should be made available to the public.

Another concern raised in the working draft is that far too little emphasis has been placed on valuing and preserving traditional architectural styles.

"Although isolated architects have taken it as a mandate to do this, and although architectural schools in South Florida have recognized the value of the Bahamian style and teach it in their schools, hiring Bahamian architects to do so, the Bahamian state has ignored the richness of the Bahamian architectural tradition," the draft states.

It also warns that architectural tradition, particularly in New Providence, is in the process of being erased.