Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation executive chairman Edison M Key (left) confers with Ronnie Horton (right) of the Rock Sound Eleuthera Blue Hole Restoration Committee. Also pictured are BAIC’s assistant general manager Donnalee Bowe, and Phillippa Strachan, committee secretary. (BIS photo/Gladstone Thurston)

Eleuthera, The Bahamas - Bahamian artisans are “on the cusp of a revolution in the handicraft industry,” Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Lawrence S Larry Cartwright declare.

“More people are being trained, organized and prepared to be symbols of our creativity and genius,” he said.

Mr Cartwright was speaking during graduation ceremony for 150 Eleutherans from Princess Cay to Harbour Island who took the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation’s courses in shell, coconut, straw and sisal craft, last Friday.

Executive chairman Edison M Key has pledged BAIC’s support as artisans move to cash in on the multi-million-dollar Bahamian souvenir industry.

He is advocating that only authentic Bahamian items should be sold in the new straw market being constructed downtown Nassau.

Graduates of BAIC’s handicraft courses in Eleuthera, entertain guests. (BIS photo/Gladstone Thurston)

Trainers for the courses were nationally acclaimed Emily Munnings, Savannah Sound, Eleuthera; Salomie Cartwright, Gregory Town, Eleuthera; and April Martin-Fox, Nassau, New Providence.

The president and treasurer of the Bahamas National Craft Association are Eleutherans Martha Smith and Susan Culmer respectively. Ms Culmer is also president of the Eleuthera Craft Association.

Shell work, on exhibit during the graduation ceremony, was one of the courses BAIC offered in Eleuthera. (BIS photo/Gladstone Thurston)

Minister Cartwright, noted that the handicraft and souvenir industry has been a viable sector of the economy.

“Many vendors still regard it as a saving grace in terms of income providing a consistent and better way of life,” he said.

He implored artisans to “summon the inner resolve that Bahamians were known for, to redouble your efforts and apply your ingenuity to design and manufacture keepsakes and cherished pieces at an even more rapid pace which is comparable to international standards, never allowing our handicraft to lose the indigenous stamp.”

He recognized the “pivotal role” BAIC is playing in “providing an incubation environment” for small and medium-size businesses and entrepreneurs.

“Now that BAIC has sought to undertake these training programs and to raise the awareness of our artisans and entrepreneurs to what the possibilities are, a more concerted effort must be made on the part of all concerned,” he said.

Eleuthera Craft Association president Susan Culmer (centre) shows off coconut craft on exhibit during ceremony marking the graduation of artisans who completed BAIC courses in handicraft last Friday. (BIS photo/Gladstone Thurston)

As a result of the unwavering effort of Eleuthera artisans, he said, the volume, standard and quality of craft and souvenir items from this island have increased over the years.

He underscored the need for authentically Bahamian items to be presented in the new straw market being constructed downtown Nassau.

“What you are doing in Eleuthera and throughout the other islands with regard to craft,” he said, “I see no reason why anyone should have to go out of the country to find souvenir items.

“We have the raw material that is indigenous to the Bahamas, we have the trained personnel who are producing products that are as good as you can buy anywhere in the world, and we certainly have the market for it in the five million and more tourists who come to our islands each year.”

BAIC executive chairman Edison M Key urged artisans to “take heart and stay focused.”

“The target that we are aiming for is $300 million,” he said. “That is the estimated value of souvenirs and other memorabilia that we import for our tourists.

“From what I see here in Eleuthera and elsewhere in our Bahamaland, that expenditure to foreign concerns is totally unnecessary.

“Imagine what it would do for the Bahamian economy if just a third of that was spent in support of the Bahamian handicraft industry!”