St Kitts and Nevis promote, celebrate its rich cultural heritage by staging Culturama festival

St Kitts and Nevis: Affectionately known as the exclusive Caribbean destination, St Kitts and Nevis consists of huge natural beauty and rich history with varied influences from different cultures. The twin-island Federation, a lesser known but luxurious, gather significant attention of people across the globe. It is the most suitable country for those who seek a mix of resort relaxation and picturesque landscapes with a touch of adventure and a dash of history. 

St Kitts is known as the country of restaurants, bars and hotels. Nevis showcases the opulence that has become this region’s calling card. 

The twin-island Federation in the Caribbean offers a quality of life with the best education, healthcare facilities and tourism industry. In terms of medical facilities, the country is home to the Joseph N France General Hospital – located in St Kitts – and to the Alexandra Hospital – located in Nevis. Further, the country is also home to several universities, a few of them being private medical schools. 

Besides this, spending on infrastructure has made the country unrecognizable from only 20 years ago. There is a thriving cruise ship port complex, and new roads have been built to take pressure off traffic in Basseterre. Moreover, St Kitts and Nevis have been efficiently working to promote and celebrate its rich cultural heritage by staging various festivals such as Culturama. The annual festival started on July 21 and will continue until August 7, 2022. 

Culturama is Nevis’ form of carnival and is celebrated for over 12 days. This year marks the 48th anniversary, under the theme “Fete and Celebrate Nevis Culturama 48.” From its inception, the festival has been dubbed as the ‘Caribbean’s Greatest Summer Lime’. The theme for the festival is decided with a small slogan competition in which every citizen of the Federation participates. 

The festival is a flamboyant demonstration of Nevis’ culture, from its folklore to the music and dancing and displays of local talent. The festival consisted packed schedule that highlights all aspects of Nevisian arts and culture through poetry nights, games, aquatic extravaganzas, craft and food fair, sports racing, Soca Monarch competitions, steel pan night and more. Various other events such as fetes, pageants and a colourful street parade of spectacular costumes also shine a spotlight on the authentic cultural experiences.

Began in 1974, Culturama is the brainchild of the Nevis Dramatic and Cultural Society (NEDACS). The prime aim behind the festival is to create an environment in which Nevisian heritage and indigenous customs would be celebrated. 

Although, the timing of the annual event is especially significant as it coincides with the observance of the 1838 emancipation of African slaves throughout the British Empire in the Caribbean. This is a major milestone in the island’s history as Nevisians are primarily of African descent.

After a rocky period in the mid-1980s, the festival has now established itself as a key date in the calendar. Travellers who visit the country to witness the beauty through these festivals would struggle to tell the festival apart from many other Caribbean carnivals; through many of its events, Culturama does strive to maintain its original purpose of preserving and promoting the local culture and heritage.

With all these festivals, St Kitts and Nevis boost the different sectors in the country especially, the tourism. It uplifts the activities of the Culturama festival with an aim to spread it across the globe and assist the people in different sectors such as: 

• To assist the culturally minded creative, and dedicated persons in serving on the Nevis Culturama Committee.
• To attain sponsorship from corporate organizations and individuals within the business community.
• To create an awareness among the citizens of Nevis and various international communities with regard to the heritage and indigenous culture of the twin-island Federation.
• To educate the populace in order to develop a sense of pride for Culturama, which drives them to contribute towards the development and sustenance of the country.
• To increase the participation of the talented people so that the festival could go ahead successfully.
• To create a festive atmosphere each year to serve the stimulation for greater involvement in the festival from Kittens and Nevisians at home and abroad.
• To preserve the dying folk tradition of St Kits and Nevis.
• To host costume designing and building workshops with an aim to install these skills in interested citizens of St Kitts and Nevis.
• To offer a forum for local artists in the various disciplines to develop and flourish and showcase their skills and talents.
• To provide the financial assistance of the corporate business community to fuel the festival and reduce the dependency on the government for financial assistance.

Revellers from across the globe enjoy the mesmerizing and vibrant culture of Nevis with spectacular events organized by the Culturama Central Committee. Several activities would also form part of the exciting calendar of events for the festival celebration. 

The Culturama patrons, lovers and travellers will enjoy the festival schedule, including sporting events, concerts, poetry readings, theatrical performances, pageants, parades and “limes”, or parties featuring local cuisine and cocktails.

On July 21, 2022, the festival started with the opening ceremony of the Junior Kaiso contests, and it will witness various other events such as the Soca Monarch competition, action Corner, and Fantastic Friday.  Besides the official events, the Kittitians and Nevisians will shake their legs at the music of famous bands such as Odissi Band, Ultimate Band, Kollision Band, DJ Zimba and Kassanova Band Small Axe Band and many more.

St Kitts and Nevis is a one-must-visit destination that always provides a relish stay in the lap of nature. The Twin-island Federation consists of sandy as well as silver and coral reefs, and tourist gets attracted to the beautiful and mesmerizing sights of the county. With the help of the tourism industry and the Citizenship by Investment Programme, the country witnessed socio-economic development at a significant pace. 

 The twin-island nation in the Western Hemisphere is a pioneer of Citizenship by the Investment industry. It is regarded as the world’s best by the CBI Index 2021 of the Financial Times published in PWM Magazine. 

The alternative Citizenship of St Kitts and Nevis is provided to investors in exchange for the financial contribution to the country’s economy. It has also been regarded as the longest-running in the world for running the programme for more than three decades. 

Popularly known as Fund Option, interested candidates can apply for alternative Citizenship through the Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF). This investment option was established in the year 2018 to support various socio-economic initiatives in the country. Fund option assisted in the ongoing advancement of St Kitts and Nevis and enhanced the future of investors, as well as the future of St Kitts and Nevis.