NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (April 12, 2018) — Hon. Eric Evelyn, Minister of Culture in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) has thrown his support behind the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) project to be implemented in St. Kitts and Nevis.

Mr. Evelyn gave the assurance when a team from the project and Ministry of Culture in St. Kitts paid him a courtesy call at the Ministry of Finance conference room on April 10, 2018, ahead, of a consultation hosted by the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society (NHCS) later that day. The theme was “Safeguarding St. Kitts and Nevis Intangible Cultural Heritage.”

“I would have heard about the project for some time now and I’m very happy that St. Kitts and Nevis, are collaborating on this project.

“I want to say that the Ministry of Culture, we totally endorse and we support this project, and any assistance we can get from the consultant Mr. Encalada, and UNESCO is very much welcomed and so, I want to on behalf of the ministry, to wish the project well,” he said.

The ICH project is a joint initiative designed to safeguard the Federation’s practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and associated cultural spaces that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of the cultural heritage.

Mr. Keith Glasgow, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture spoke of the significance of keeping the island’s heritage alive.

“I believe for a very long time we have been taking our cultural heritage for granted. In fact, as we speak, we are embarking on a Nevis world heritage project where we’re trying to get the city of Charlestown inscribed… It comes at the right time when we’re trying to appreciate what we have; when we’re trying to highlight the significance of what we have.

“Pottery making, burning of charcoal, folklore and these things are intangible…so what we need to do is sensitize our people in terms of the importance of our cultural heritage and…how to take care of our cultural assets,” he said.

Also present were Mr. Nigel Encalada, UNESCO Global Facilitator, Mr. Stanley Knight, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture in St. Kitts, Ms. Marlene Phillips Research and Documentation Officer in the Ministry of Culture in St. Kitts, Mr. Troy Mills, Director of Culture in St. Kitts, Mr. Jerome Rawlins, Chief Executive Officer of the Nevis Cultural Development Foundation and Ms. Pauline Ngunjiri, Deputy Director of the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society.