Thanks for stopping by!

It really grieves me though, to the point of hurt, to realize the profound problems you met and left – ones so deep-seated and systemic. If the head is not interested at all, that dispassion only trickles down to its members and leads to an acute crippling of the efforts of those who do care very much. I sigh.

Nico, you said, “Businessmen and churchmen and lawmen and academics and employees and civil servants are all equally culpable in devaluing who we are, in refusing to invest in the creation of a collective identity in which we all share and of which we are all proud.”

Nico, as someone who KNOWS, please tell me (and everyone else who is listening), what can I do – as a citizen, as an artist, as a passionate patriot of Bahamaland – to invest in our cultural identity? Your ideas and suggestions for those of us who are tired of the status quo and the rhetoric and the mind games and the mind numbing “politi-speak” would be greatly appreciated.

I want to get something done. The stagnation is choking us.

Ironically, given our exchange above, the best example of a country in our region which can be said to have a cultural policy and to have implemented it effectively is Cuba. This should explain my pro-Cuba bias!

Most English-speaking Caribbean nations have no cultural policy. Jamaica is currently implementing its fourth, however, and the difference shows. Belize, I believe, has also written and implemented a cultural policy with some success, and so has St. Lucia. Barbados has no “cultural policy” per se but has invested fairly aggressively in the development of a cultural economy. However, for most governments of the region, culture is basically irrelevant.

This was breath of fresh air and full of sense. Similarly talented folks all seem to privately say the same thing regards our government and culture. Can I ask: Which countries in our region (and further afield) have shown effective implementation of its cultural policy? Can we emulate these countries? What would it take? Do we have to accept the obstacles and inefficiencies so meekly? I admire your courage in speaking out against what is obviously an ineffective system. It irks me that the people’s funding and time suffers from so much waste and lost opportunity. Like many people, I think it would be a shame not to hear your thoughts in detail on how things can be improved. I feel happy that you are “coming up for air.” Thanks for all you have given us.

Bob Bower
Editor, Bahamas Tourist News

Seeking someone else to blame is not a solution; nor is it ever going to uncover or solve the problem.

Wendell, thanks!

The Great Prophet had said that if he did not go away, the spirit would not come. Your work with the next generation of Bahamians leaders should inspire, motivate and nurture the kind of self-identity and an individual and collective sense of responsibility for changes that matter. It’s about time that the sustainment and enhancement of culture be recognized as integral components in nation building. Keep the hope alive! Wendell Edgecombe, Bahamian American Cultural Society, Inc. New York City

Just to clarify, though: it’s not that I don’t think I made any impact. Things happened, good things took place. But they were not lasting, because the civil service and our nation are not equipped to make intangibles lasting, and our leaders appear not to believe that long-term investments in human capital are as important as stuff you can touch and see, like roads and bridges and airports throughout the nation.

My biggest regret is that I was not able in five years even to re-establish what my father left behind in 1987, and which was whittled down to very little indeed over successive terms of government. No party is more or less culpable here: 11 of those years were FNM, 10 PLP, and in both cases what happened had more to do with personalities than with policy. That is our failure. And the fact that we collectively have not demanded a change in policy, demanded and kept demanding adequate legislation, and worked to make it less possible for politicians and civil servants to do what they please when it comes to culture is an indictment on us all.