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| Premier Parry Opens
Nevisian Artisan Village |
| By Patrice Pemberton |
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Craft
item
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Artisan
Village
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Premier of Nevis, the
Hon. Joseph Parry, officially opened the Nevisian Artisan
Village at Old Hospital Road, adjacent to the Nevis
Cultural Centre, on Wednesday, March 30.
"The Nevisian Artisan Village is the brainchild
of the Ministry of Tourism," said its Chairman,
Mr. Antonio Liburd, adding that tourists often ask where
the craft items that they purchase are made.
As the Permanent Secretary of Tourism Mr. Tyrone O'Flaherty
put it, "local craft persons in Nevis need a permanent
base for their exports." He also stated that the
Artisan Village would create new streams of revenue.
"There is no other point of attracting tourists
here with a pocket full of money," Mr. O'Flaherty
explained. "They want to learn cultures different
from their own."
The Permanent Secretary went on to assert that the craft
items should be unique, thus giving the artisan a better
chance of getting their items sold when the tourists
could view the art creations in progress rather than
already completed and on a shelf.
Mr. O'Flaherty then informed that due to financial constraints,
no current hiring would take place.
He thanked Mr. Eustace Nisbett of the Nevis Housing
and Land Development Cooperation, along with the Ministries
of Works and Finance, who all played a role in helping
the Artisan Village project become a reality. He also
advised that all crafters were asked to sign contracts,
and that any violations of said contracts would be met
with "swift retributions."
During the ceremony, local youngsters coached by Mr.
Steve Duggins performed a creative masquerade dance.
The audience enjoyed the entire performance.
Premier Parry, also the Nevis Minister of Tourism, heartily
endorsed measures that allowed visitors to increase
their knowledge about the island.
"When someone comes to the island, they should
taste the food. They should sample the beach. They should
meet the people. They should go to the mountains. They
should go to the museums. They should know something
about the island in terms of its history and its crafts.
In other words, we will have visitors here and we will
be selling Nevis to them," he said.
The Premier urged everyone to keep the beaches and streets
clean, and to refrain from harassing the tourists. He
declared the Artisan Village open shortly afterwards.
Local craftsperson, Ms. Iona Rogers, shared some timely
advice.
"Crafts can take you places," she said. "You
can make a decent livelihood from crafts."
Ms. Rogers urged the Premier to send persons away to
be trained in crafts, as such persons were needed in
her view. Her closing words were, "Buy local, support
local."
Other crafts persons were present at the ceremony, and
showed interested persons their unique creations. Items
such as jewelry, rag dolls, refrigerator magnets and
ornaments were all on display.
Among the artisans were Ms. Carmen Nisbett, with 25
years of craft-making experience; Ms. Iona Rogers, who
has been doing so 15 years; Ms. Shellita James, with
five years of experience; and Mrs. Jean Alcendor-Browne,
who has been making crafts for just a year. Also present
was Mr. Marvin Chapman, a known stone sculptor, and
Susan Pollard, who expressed an interest in joining
the craft crew in the near future. |
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