As part of heritage month, during November the Observer on Sunday will be looking at different aspects of Cayman’s heritage .
The simplest explanation of heritage is something inherited from one’s ancestors. it can be something tangible such as the natural environment, buildings and artefacts, or something more intangible such as music, traditions, or a way of living which defines a group of people and gives them an identity. Some countries have thousands of years of heritage, while others are defined by a particular period of cultural heritage, such as the classical ages of Italy and Greece.
Heritage is what makes the world an interesting place: It shows how societies have developed; it makes people different but at the same time gives a sense of belonging and identity.
What ultimately defines heritage however, is that it is an inheritance, incumbent on each generation to pass on to future generations. During the last 50 years the world has probably changed more rapidly than at any time in its history, which presents challenges to those who work in the heritage field. Cayman in particular has seen more changes than most and with it also being a small community makes protecting its heritage even more of a challenge ,
The National Trust is in charge of preserving natural environments and places of historic significance. General Manager Frank Balderamos defines their parameter: “Technically speaking, in the Trust, heritage is defined as over 50 years old whether it be a property, a custom or tradition. Obviously, in the last 50 years Cayman has changed quite a bit, but as time goes on different things become heritage . Currently we focus on pre-1960s.
“Heritage is important in a general sense, it gives you a sense of identity, but in Cayman its even more important because of a large influx of foreigners, the indigenous people need to feel they are still a part of island life, and foreigners who come here also need to feel they have come to a country with traditions.”
Rapid development here has presented probably one of the biggest challenges to preservation with historic sites being sacrificed to make way for the new. ”Everyone has a right to make a buck, but it takes a moment to think do we need to destroy this to make a dollar? Fort George is a prime example. It was almost completely destroyed,” says Balderamos. “It needed people to say ‘whoa, let’s have a look at this; what are we destroying here?’”
Part of the problem is that there is no legislation in place, so although the Trust has influence, it has no legislative power, a fact which Balderamos is blunt but philosophical about: “The National Trust is charged with maintaining a historical registrar both for historic buildings and the environment. We create the document and maintain it, but there are no powers that come with that. I would love to have all the power in the world, but no one is going to give it to me – just because a property is on a registrar does not mean anything.
“Do we have influence? We have bought property because someone wants it to go to the trust and have accepted less money for it because they know their family heritage is going to be protected.”
Similarly with protecting the environment, the Trust maintains the Mastic Trail, but they do not own all the land around it so have not total control on what happens. Of the much muted Conservation Law he says that they have consulted with people and he sees no reason for it not to be tabled and the discussion opened up .
He says that he sees the way forward as educating people about why preservation is important. “The trust has got into trouble in the past when a certain project has been opposed because we did not lay the groundwork before opposing it. If the trust is educating all along, it’s easier for them to understand when we oppose something.”
Despite the fast-changing world, there have been notable success stories: the Blue Iguana programme, the Mastic Trail reserve and successful restorations, such as the Mission House. Balerderamso is particularly heartened by the awarding of a grant from the EU toward the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme as part of a fulfilment of its international environmental agreements. The grant does come with terms though, that a matching amount needs to be raised locally.
If preserving physical heritage is important it is equally important but perhaps more difficult to preserve something less tangible, a cultural heritage. The Cayman National Cultural Foundation’s mission statement is “To stimulate… facilitate… and preserve cultural and artistic expression generally, particularly the preservation and exploration of Caymanian performing, visual and literary arts.” Along with ongoing arts at the Harquail Theatre, which officially opened in 1986, the foundation is behind an annual festival of the arts, annual culture awards, helping local authors get published, preserving the Legacy of Miss Lassie and bringing Cayman arts to the wider world.
Henry Muttoo, artistic director of Cayman National Cultural Foundation, observes that ultimately a cultural heritage evolves from the way a people live. When a place develops as rapidly as Cayman, where people can no longer live in the way in which they were accustomed, does that then mean the loss of its cultural heritage? Mutoo does not necessarily think so because cultural heritage by its very existence is things that have been done successfully, that are tried and tested with time. Heritage can be about how people continue to use accent and language, the way they tell stories, as well as such things as music or dance. Cultural heritage is also about how generations relate to each other and how stories are interpreted and passed on. “I remember how my grandfather used to talk and the stories he told. I wish I could go back now and ask him more because when we are younger we do not always pay attention.”
Balderamos talks similarly about how stories that are told keep heritage alive. “When I was a child growing up in Cayman, stories were our entertainment and history lessons wrapped into one.”
Muttoo also points out that the perspective of what is cultural heritage is different depending on the age of the person you are talking to. “When I was young, I used to sing what would now be considered old calypso songs and my grandmother would say, what is that new-fangled music you are singing? But when I sang these songs to my children, they were considered old .”
If heritage is an inheritance, then it needs to be appreciated by the people it is being passed on to. Both men are optimistic that younger people on Cayman will carry on the good work. Balderamos said: “Young people seem to understand what it is about, and we have great support from teachers at the schools,”
Mutto said he believes young people come to their cultural heritage in their own time, “We just hope that we can make it accessible to young people. They want to know where they come from. Everyone comes back to the source.”
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