Following UNESCO Nod, a Serious Look at Culture in Barbados

Above: St. James Parish Church

After last week’s announcement that Bridgetown and its garrison had been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Barbados Culture Minister Stephen Lashley said he hoped that heritage and culture would “be taken a bit more seriously.” Lashley was speaking after returning from the UNESCO committee meeting in Paris.

“I sometimes feel there is a tendency to see this particular area of economic activity as being soft, but it is far from a soft area,” he said. “It is a fast-growing area of economy activity. It is the policy of the government to swiftly move towards diversifying our economy and the opportunity for entrepreneurship is something we will spend some time se’nsitising Barbadians about.”

The minister also said that the country’s application for UNESCO world heritage status for Bridgetown was nearly deferred, until a number of “inaccurate” claims about the bid were clarified. According to the minister, the government will now roll out an intensive public education program about the UNESCO designation.

–Barbados Information Service