(ZIZ News) — History and Heritage Month 2017 was launched on Wednesday at Matheson House at Taylor’s Range.
The 11thAnnual History and Heritage Month of Activities was officially launched by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Hon. Shawn Richard, in the presence of history and heritage enthusiasts.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Richards commended the History And Heritage Committee for its dedicated efforts over the past 11 years.
“I would want to commend the History and Heritage Committee fr organizing, not one day of activities, not one week of activities, but an entire month of activities, during which we can reflect and during which, hopefully we can make some positive changes.”
He said the promotion and preservation of our history and heritage will require a collaborative effort between the government and the public.
“Quite often I get the question from persons “What is the government doing to promote and preserve our culture, our heritage, our history?” The truth is that the government can only do so much. It can put policies in place. The department of culture can organize activities, it can hold programmes to create awareness and to stimulate action. However at the end of it all our culture is about all of us.”
The theme for the month is “Statehood: A Milestone to Freedom.”
President of the Brimstone Hill National Park Society Sir Probyn Innis said statehood is a significant part of our history that must be taught.
“You can’t believe it, but its 50 years ago this year, that we welcomed statehood, on the 27th of February, 1967. This is one of the things we have to recognize. One of the reasons why we need to keep on reinforcing these things and reminding ourselves of these events is that the younger generation really don’t know about it,” he said, stating, “We have to tell them, we have to remind them, we have to encourage them to read more about these things and this is one of the things that we hope we will be able to do during the course of this month.”
Activities this year include a statehood lecture, a panel discussion, a cultural fair and asocial evening for seniors.
There is a similar observance of History and Heritage Month currently ongoing in Nevis.
According to the Brimstone Hill Fortress website, history and heritage month seeks to promote a greater awareness and appreciation of the history, heritage and culture of St. Kitts and Nevis.