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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
NASSAU, The Bahamas – As the musicians and performers end their week of involving themselves in Rake’n’Scrape on Cat Island in early October 2010, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture the Hon. Charles Maynard applauded the partnership and exchanges of expertise that will culminate with a Paris performance of the Bahamian musical art form.
“This is definitely a wonderful opportunity
for The Bahamas and we are very proud to be a part of it,” Minister
Maynard said recently about the project.
The initiative, entitled the “Viva
Rake’n’Scrape Paris Project”, is a partnership with the Ministry,
the Ministry of Tourism and corporate sponsors, and was spearheaded
by Project Manager Angelique McKay.
It entails Paris-based Bahamian singer
and entertainer Diane Hamilton bringing French stakeholders to Cat Island
to learn about the “birthplace of rake’n’scrape” and rehearse
in anticipation of taking the collaborated groups to Paris for a marquee
performance.
Ms. Hamilton and the award-winning Cat
Island rake’n’scrape group Ophie and the Webbsites are slated to
perform at Vibrations Caraibes (Vibration Caribbean) Festival in November.
Regional cultural legend Calypso Rose is slated to also perform at the
same event. The performance will be the first time Bahamian culture
is showcased at the festival.
“Cat Island authenticated everything
I knew when I was growing up in Nassau and San Salvador,” after the
Cat Island rehearsals. “The way people were, the generosity,
the simplicity, the tranquility, the children, everything was so perfect
to me. I was in paradise.
“I was very happy and when we go back
to the Festival, I will have nothing but praise for what you have done
down here and the way we have been treated and welcomed,” she added.
“When we there, in the ‘birthplace’ of the music, I suddenly realised
that that was the best idea that could possibly be come up with.”
“I know something about Bahamian music;
but I would know more about the singer/songwriters like Phil Stubbs,”
said French photographer and visual producer Patrick Rouchon.
“I was amazed by the energy and the natural aspects of this music.”
Ms. Hamilton, whose recent album is entitled
“A Bahamian in Paris” also featured a collaboration with Bahamian
recording artist Ancient Man, said she could not thank Ms. McKay, the
Ministry and other stakeholders enough for the part they played in the
project.
“I feel that it is important for people
out there to know who we are and that we have a culture and that we
have people who have given us a legacy that is worth sharing and protecting,”
Ms. Hamilton said.
Minister Maynard said that for a festival
like the one in Paris, rake’n’scrape is one of the best ways to
introduce people to Bahamian musical expression.
“It is very unique … it is one of
the most natural forms of music that exists in the world, using instruments
that are not necessarily musical instruments and creating wonderful
music,” Minister Maynard said. “I think that that is really
going to capture the imagination of the people who attend the festival.
“And, of course, with tourism being
our number one industry, what better way to promote The Bahamas than
to show how rich our culture is.”
“When we take what we are to rest of
the world, it says to them that ‘Hey, here is a country that has a
unique something to offer,’” Director of Culture Dr. Linda Moxey
Brown said. “We are that country that has more than that uniqueness.”
“We are proud of who we are as a Bahamian
and it is always good to showcase that part of us,” she added.
Minister Maynard re-iterated his Ministry’s
support of such exchanges and related the various projects that it assisted
in over the past three years, carrying Bahamian cultural expressions,
such as Junkanoo, rake-n-scrape and visual arts to the United Kingdom.
However, Minister Maynard said, this
project is carrying rake’n‘scrape style of music to Paris and, at
the same time, is taking the exchanges into “another dimension”
by bringing part of if to Cat Island and then back to Europe.
“It makes it even more special,”
he said. “We are going to highlight some of our cultural giants
in Cat Island, as part of this whole exchange.
“This whole idea of cultural exchange,
which has been a three-year journey, has, in my opinion, really exploded
into a real exchange of cultures in terms of rake-n-scrape being integrally
placed in a very prestigious festival in Paris and we know that this
is going to bring many opportunities not only for our artists, but also
in terms of the promotion of The Bahamas and Bahamian culture worldwide.”
Project Manager for the initiative Ms.
McKay said that working on such projects is “living out a dream”
for her, being able to take another Bahamian art form to such a vibrant
city as Paris and showcase what the Bahamas has to offer the world.
She added that while Ms. Hamilton’s
team was in Cat Island, they had a chance to immerse themselves in the
dances, history and even the rhyming spirituals that are a part of the
island’s heritage.
“The people of Cat Island are very
receptive to this particular project,” Ms. McKay said. “It
allows us to really develop our Family Island festivals.
“Persons would be able to hear rake’n’scrape
in another part of the world and their interest will be piqued.
They will want to know where they could go to hear this; so that is
an ‘automatic’ that the Rake’n’Scrape Festival is that place
to be,” Ms. McKay added. “You have an entire weekend of activities
and you can now put that in as your vacation destination.
“It boosts cultural tourism for The
Bahamas. It boosts domestic tourism for the people of Cat Island;
so it is a win-win situation all around.
“All I am interested in is when people
come to The Bahamas, they want to hear more rake-n-scrape or rhyming
spirituals or want to learn more about icons like Joseph Spence,”
Ms. Hamilton said. “If that happens, then I would like
that is all I would like to do.”
Minister Maynard said that his ministry
happily supported the initiative, having Ms. McKay, who is also an officer
of the ministry, work all the projects for the past three years and
giving some financial contribution to make it all tangible.
“We find that in these kind of situations
that once the ministry or the government is behind it, the corporate
community is more willing to support as well; so we are happy to lead
the way in that respect,” Minister Maynard said.
CEO of SkyBahamas Airlines Kenneth Romer
said that his company was happy to be the major corporate sponsor for
the event because it speaks to their corporate mandate.
“When Angelique spoke to us and spoke
about assisting in preserving and promoting our own culture, it was
a ‘no-brainer’ for our organisation,” Mr. Romer said. “Many
Bahamian companies are in it only for the profits; but we believe that
in our company there are certain things that we must do to contribute
to our national growth and development, to partner and to make as many
cultural events happen.
“Thus far, I think that more than any
other airline, we have partnered with and sponsored with the many cultural
festivals throughout The Islands of The Bahamas,” Mr. Romer added.
“This is just one of the many things that we are doing to support
cultural things in The Bahamas. We have done so much in the past
and, as a part of who we are, we will continue doing it in the times
to come.”
Cleophas “Ophie” Webb of the
Cat Island Rake-n-Scrape band Ophie and Webb Site said that they are
very proud of their Cat Island heritage and is happy and honoured to
take part in such an international project.
“I would like to take our culture rake-n-scrape
to the rest of the world,” Mr. Webb said. “The opportunity
that is afforded me now … I am so grateful to the Minister and Diane
and Ms. McKay who are going to make all this possible.
“I can assure you that the Webbsites
is going to go over there and make The Bahamas proud because we like
what we do and we know that our culture is an important part of our
heritage and is something that we must be proud of and we must take
it to the rest of the world,” Mr. Webb added.
“People at the Festival can be assured
that they will be getting a taste of something authentically Bahamian,”
Ms. Hamilton said. “These are skilled Bahamian musicians,
musicians that grew up in this music, live this music, and many of the
songs are ones that I snag when I was a child and we need Bahamians
for this.
“Bahamians have a kind of aura around
them and I know what it is. When you see us, you know that there
is something about us that is real and that is something I cannot invent.”
“As a real music fan, to be with Bahamian
musicians on stage is the treat of my life,” Mr. Rouchon added.
“I am happy with the decision to take
the rehearsals to the ‘birthplace of rake’n’scrape’ so that
they could be fully submerged in the culture of The Bahamas and really
see what brings rake’n’scrape to life,” Ms. McKay said.
“And the fact that their ‘studio’ was the Turning Point, which
is a various famous cultural landmark and venue in Cat Island where
many performers were showcased.”
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