Dr. Kim Dismont Robinson from Bermuda as she engaged a student of the Metropolitan High School at the ADHT Youth Forum held yesterday.
Youth discuss embracing African heritage
9/20/2012
A number of youth drawn from local secondary and tertiary levels schools as well as community youth groups came together yesterday, to discuss and embrace their African heritage on the third and final day of the 8th Annual African Diaspora Heritage Trail (ADHT) Conference, held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC).
Under the theme “Our Freedom, Our Identity: Uncover, Recover, Discover”, topics such as The Image of Africa among Black Youth, African Identity and Self Esteem, The Business of African Heritage, Black Culture and Improving Our African Heritage in Barbadian Culture were explored, as the youth broke out into groups in a roundtable session in the Marigold Room at LESC, under the guidance of Tourism Development Officer, Marsha Armstrong.
Prior to the breakout sessions, the youth heard from Chairman of the African Diaspora HeritageTrail Bermuda Foundation, Maxine Esdaille, who noted the importance of the Bermuda’s heritage trail offerings, which ensure that visitors are taken to historic sites which hold a lot of significance for those of African descent in the country. She spoke of the need to further diversify tourism product offerings by developing local trails here and also highlighted the need for youth to participate in discussing their African Heritage, as well as contribute to the tourism product wherever possible.
The students also heard from board member Dr. Kim Dismont Robinson, who highlighted the need for adults to pass on cultural traditions to the younger generation to ensure that certain aspects of African culture live on. She also asked the students to consider how “Africa” manifests itself in Barbadian society today.
In summarising the discussions, the youth offered many suggestions as to how young people in general could better embrace and celebrate their African heritage. These suggestions included the need for Barbadians on a whole to be taught or re-educated about African history, calls for locals to recover their ancestral links and pass these on to their children, the promotion of Black History outside of Black History Month and the celebrating of the successes of people of African descent. Also, the need for a Mr. and Mrs. Africa Pageant to highlight and promote things African and the use of African names as opposed to European ones, when naming Barbadian children.
Contributing to the roundtable discussions were students of the Hospitality Institute, the Combermere School, Queen’s College, St. Michael School, St. Ursula’s, St. James Secondary, Christ Church Foundation and Metropolitan High School and others from community dance groups and community youth groups.
Their suggestions were noted by the Ministry of Tourism, while Junior Minister of Tourism Christopher Morgan encouraged them to continue the discussions in their schools and youth circles, to share the information garnered from the forum, to ensure that they can truly embrace their African heritage for what it is worth, while balancing this with their experiences over the years, which may have a European influence. (RSM)
