2010 Heritage Month Theme
12 February 2010 | Minister Neletha Butterfield
MR. SPEAKER, IT IS WITH PLEASURE THAT I RISE TO SHARE WITH MY HONOURABLE COLLEAGUES THE TWO THOUSAND AND TEN (2010) HERITAGE MONTH THEME: “GREEN: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW”, AS ANNOUNCED RECENTLY AT A PRESS CONFERENCE.
MR. SPEAKER, WITH THIS THEME IN MIND I URGE THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY TO EMBRACE “GREEN HABITS” WHICH MAY MEAN UPHOLDING TRADITIONAL WAYS OF THE PAST THAT ENABLED OUR FOREFATHERS TO THRIVE. SUCH HABITS – IF FOSTERED - WILL HELP TO SECURE THE FUTURE OF OUR ISLAND HOME.
MR. SPEAKER, HERITAGE MONTH IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CULTURAL LANDMARKS ON OUR COUNTRY’S CALENDAR! FOR MORE THAN 400 YEARS OUR ISLAND HOME OF BERMUDA HAS EXPERIENCED CONTINUOUS HUMAN HABITATION WHICH HAS SEEN THE EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR RICH AND VIBRANT CULTURE. THUS WE HAVE MUCH TO RECOGNIZE, ACKNOWLEDGE AND CELEBRATE!!!
MR. SPEAKER, OVER A CENTURY AGO LIFE WAS FAR SIMPLER IN MANY WAYS THAN THE VERY BUSY AND HECTIC PACE OF THIS TWENTY FIRST CENTURY LIVING. DURING THAT ERA OUR FOREFATHERS AND MOTHERS DID NOT WASTE ANYTHING!! WE MUST APPRECIATE WHAT WE HAVE AND NOT WASTE THINGS IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE THE POTENTIAL NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR ENVIRONMENT AND THE DELICATE BALANCE OF THE ECOSYSTEMS OF OUR LANDS AND IN OUR SURROUNDING OCEANS. OUR HERITAGE MONTH THEME THEREFORE CHALLENGES US TO REVISIT SOME OF OUR TRADITIONAL WAYS THAT WILL HELP PROTECT OUR FUTURE.
MR. SPEAKER, THE BERMUDA DAY PARADE, WHICH IS A SPECIAL FEATURE OF THE HERITAGE MONTH ACTIVITIES AND WILL BE CELEBRATED ON MONDAY, 24TH MAY, WILL ALSO FEATURE THIS YEAR’S THEME GREEN: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW. BERMUDA DAY IS A PARTICULARLY CHERISHED HOLIDAY BY ALL SEGMENTS OF THE COMMUNITY. I URGE ALL HONOURABLE MEMBERS TO COME OUT AND SUPPORT THIS YEAR’S PARADE EITHER AS A SPECTATOR OR PARTICIPANT! COME AND JOIN THE FUN AND FESTIVITIES!!
MR. SPEAKER, I NOTE THAT MR. TOM WADSON, MR. RICHARD BASCOME, MS. DOLLY PITCHER AND MRS. JOY WILSON TUCKER HAVE BEEN INVITED TO BE GRAND MARSHALS FOR THIS YEARS’S BERMUDA DAY PARADE.
MR. SPEAKER, BERMUDA DAY HAS A SPECIAL MEANING FOR ALL OF US. IT IS A DAY THAT WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY COME TOGETHER IN THE PAST AS BERMUDIANS – RESIDENTS AND VISITORS ALIKE – TO CELEBRATE OUR DIVERSITY AND OUR UNIQUENESS. FOR MANY IT IS THE FIRST DAY TO ENJOY THE THRILLS AND SPILLS OF OUR “DIP” IN THE OCEAN. FOR OTHERS WE RECALL WITH GLEE FAMILY GATHERINGS; WHILST OTHERS THINK ABOUT THE RHYTHMIC SOUNDS OF THE GOMBEYS IN THE PARADE. WHATEVER IMAGES ARE CONJURED UP IN OUR MINDS WHEN WE HEAR THE PHRASE “BERMUDA DAY”, WE HOPE THIS MONTH OF CELEBRATION WILL NOT ONLY BE ENJOYABLE BUT WILL ALSO SERVE TO EDUCATE US AND BUILD APPRECIATION FOR THE VALUES, TRADITIONS AND DISCIPLINE THAT KEPT OUR FOREFATHERS FOCUSED AND STRONG.
MR. SPEAKER, THE COMMUNITY CAN HELP PRESERVE A GREEN BERMUDA BY LOOKING AT HOW WE CONSUME ENERGY AT HOME, AT SCHOOL, IN THE WORKPLACE, AND AS WE MOVE AROUND THE ISLAND. WE MUST ASK WHETHER OUR LIFESTYLES CONTRIBUTE TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE AND TAKE STEPS TO MAKE IT SO.
MR. SPEAKER, WE ALSO EXPECT THE GREEN HERITAGE MONTH THEME TO REFLECT THE PRESENT AND HOW WE AS A PEOPLE ARE TIED TO OUR ENVIRONMENT IN A VERY REAL AND TANGIBLE WAY.
MR. SPEAKER, MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE TAKING SMALL BUT IMPORTANT STEPS SUCH AS RECYCLING, GROWING OUR OWN VEGETABLES, INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS, USING NATURAL BEAUTY PRODUCTS, BUYING NATURAL FOODS AND ORGANIC PRODUCE WHERE POSSIBLE, USING NON-TOXIC CLEANING SUPPLIES, AND ENGAGING IN BACKYARD COMPOSTING. THESE ARE SOME OF THE CURRENT PRACTICES THAT SHOULD PROVIDE CREATIVE INSPIRATION FOR FLOATS IN THE BERMUDA DAY PARADE.
MR. SPEAKER, WE ARE ALSO A PEOPLE WITH VISION. SO I ANTICIPATE THAT SOME AMONG US WILL LOOK TO THE FUTURE AND EMBRACE THE POSSIBILITIES FOR A GREEN TOMORROW. PERHAPS WE WILL BE INSPIRED BY FLOATS THAT MAKE US THINK DEEPLY ABOUT THE ROLE WE AS INDIVIDUALS CAN PLAY IN PRESERVING OUR ENVIRONMENT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
MR. SPEAKER, WHATEVER THE FOCUS – PAST, PRESENT OR FUTURE - WE ENCOURAGE FLOAT MAKERS AND PARTICIPANTS IN THE BERMUDA DAY PARADE TO BE CREATIVE IN THEIR FLOAT DESIGNS IN ORDER TO ILLUMINATE THE THEME “GREEN: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW” AND HAVE FUN WHILE DOING IT.
MR. SPEAKER, I ENCOURAGE THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY AND ESPECIALLY YOUNG PEOPLE TO EMBRACE THE GREEN THEME AND FULLY PARTICIPATE IN THE BERMUDA DAY CELEBRATIONS. I ALSO INVITE RESIDENTS AND VISITORS ALIKE TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF EVENTS LINED UP FOR HERITAGE MONTH IN MAY OF THIS YEAR.
OF COURSE, MR. SPEAKER, I SHALL HAVE MORE TO SAY ABOUT BERMUDA DAY AND HERITAGE MONTH FESTIVITIES IN A SUBSEQUENT MINISTERIAL STATEMENT.
THANK YOU, MR. SPEAKER
