Making its grand return, the 19th annual International Cultural Festival was held last weekend at the Nassau Botanical Gardens. The festival, known for its multitude of booths representing a myriad of countries, was this year no less a success than its predecessors. The two-day event featured performances, competitions, food, drink, craft items and, of course, lots of cultural pride.
The current International Cultural Festival Board of Directors, led by Chairperson Janet Johnson, took over management of the festival in 2009 and has been working to expand and improve the annual affair over the past five years. The team of directors includes Sheila Bethel, Eric Carey, Peter Goudie, Gershan Major and Brendon Watson.
It seems the board's efforts are working. Initial attendance counts revealed the festival's visitor count over the weekend to be in the region of 32,000 to 34,000. Hoping to get more international visitors involved, the board partnered with Bahamas Experience Tours, which offered a shuttle service for tourists to and from hotels on Paradise Island and Cable Beach as well as Festival Place in Downtown Nassau.
There's no mystery why people flock in droves; the festival is known as an event for everyone - families, couples, senior citizens and children reveled in the gardens and patronized this year's booths, of which there were more than 100 representing approximately 24 countries.
Doing more than incensing the garden's air with the smells of cooking food, the booths delighted the visual senses, as well. Dressing up the booths is one of the festival's traditions; not only does it give booth holders the opportunity to celebrate unique cultures through festive decorations, but it also gives them a shot at one of the festival prizes.
Divided by geographical region, the festival booths vie for first or second place in their respective divisions. There is also a best in show prize given to the booth deemed the most festive overall. Judging this year was done by a team led by artist John Cox, who chose the Republic of The Philippines' booth as the best in show. The win was the second consecutive for the booth that wowed judges with dances, food showcasing, craft demonstrations and a brief overview of the country's history.
Zeleka Knowles was part of the team representing Ethiopia as the sole African nation at the 2014 festival.
"Two years ago, South Africa was there, which was very exciting to at least have them present," she said. "But this year we heard that South Africa wasn't going to have a booth, so we thought that it'd be important to represent Africa."
The Ethiopian booth was one of the few offering vegetarian and vegan options at the festival. Served with Ethiopian flatbread, known as injera, the booth offered misir wot, a spicy red lentil stew; kik alicha, a yellow split pea curry, and garlic and ginger-infused collard greens. There were also beef skewers brushed with cardamom and rosemary butter, Ethiopian honey wine - a mead - and artisan, Ethiopian jewelry.
"We had a great reaction," said Knowles. "We got very positive feedback from a lot of people. The Rasta community was - as was to be expected - very intrigued by the booth."
Originally from Ethiopia, Knowles recognized the opportunity the festival presents for expats to connect with others of similar backgrounds.
"We did meet other Africans at the booth, so that was another exciting part about having this booth because it's such a small community of Africans here. It was an opportunity for me to meet and connect with other Africans living in The Bahamas," she said.
A nonprofit venture, the festival is sustained by a 10 percent deduction on the profits made by vendors each year. While a good portion of the funds provides for the following year's infrastructure, the board also uses a part of the money raised to support local educational and charitable ventures. Prominent beneficiaries of the festival are students who participate in Model United Nations conferences and debates in local schools. The International Cultural Festival provides sponsorship for the winning debate team to travel to the United Nations Headquarters in New York with the minister of foreign affairs.
Special mention has been made by a member of the board of directors for the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, which, every year donates the total proceeds from its festival booths back to the International Cultural Festival.
Though this year's festival just ended, the planning process for the 2015 International Cultural Festival is only a few months away. Those who are interested in getting involved may contact the board from early February onward. To find out more about the International Cultural Festival, visit its website at http://www.culturefestbahamas.com/.

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