NASSAU, Bahamas -- Sir Arthur Foulkes, Deputy to the Governor General and Director General of The Bahamas Information Services Department and his wife Joan Lady Foulkes (right) left Nassau today to attend the Official Funeral for the Hon. Ralston Milton “Rex” Nettleford, Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), in Kingston, Jamaica. Elma Garraway, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education (shown left) is also accompanying Sir Arthur. (BIS photo/Peter Ramsay)

Nassau, The Bahamas - Sir Arthur Foulkes, Deputy to the Governor General and Director General of The Bahamas Information Services Department, will represent The Bahamas at the Official Funeral for the Hon. Ralston Milton “Rex” Nettleford, Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday, February 16, 2010.

Professor Nettleford, 76, died on February 2 from a heart attack in Washington, DC, USA, where he was attending a UWI fundraiser.

He is being accorded an Official Funeral by the Government of Jamaica.

Sir Arthur will be accompanied by his wife, Joan Lady Foulkes, and Mrs. Elma Garraway, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education. They will depart Nassau for Kingston, Jamaica, on Monday, February 15, and will leave on Wednesday, February 17.

The official opposition Progressive Liberal Party will be represented by Mr. Fred Mitchell, MP for Fox Hill.

A delegation from the College of The Bahamas will also attend the Official Funeral which will be held at 10:00a.m.in the University Chapel at the Mona Campus of UWI in Kingston.

In a statement issued following Mr. Nettleford’s death, Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham, offered condolences to his family on behalf of the Government and people of The Bahamas, and expressed sympathy to the Jamaican people on the passing of “their native son who was the proverbial Renaissance man”.

The Prime Minister described Professor Nettleford as a “profoundly Caribbean man, who celebrated the unique history of the region through his writings and artistic expression” and who was “deeply committed to education as a major vehicle” for regional development.

“Rex Nettleford made extraordinary contributions to Jamaica, the wider Caribbean, and the Caribbean Diaspora as an educator, sociologist, writer, social critic, dancer, choreographer and trade unionist. He was a committed regionalist who was also internationally recognized for his intellectual and creative pursuits,” Prime Minister Ingraham said.

“Both Jamaica and the wider Caribbean have lost a native son whose extraordinary talents will be missed. The Bahamas joins Caribbean people throughout the world in mourning the death of this revered cultural icon,” the Prime Minister added.

At the time of his death, Mr. Nettleford was a professor of Extra Mural Studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and head of the Trade Union Education Institution, having previously served as Vice Chancellor of UWI for a number of years. He also lectured at the University’s Caribbean Institution of Media and Communication (CARIMAC).

Professor Nettleford’s contributions to the cultural life of Jamaica included his founding and service as the artistic director and principal choreographer of the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) of Jamaica. He led the company for nearly 50 years and was himself a brilliant dancer.

Professor Nettleford also served as the Cultural Advisor to the Prime Minister of Jamaica and as a cultural advisor to Carifesta and UNESCO, as well as to the Government of Ghana.

He visited The Bahamas on numerous occasions and knew many Bahamians through his visits and work at UWI.