CFBC HISTORY & HERITAGE CLUB PUTS ON SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITION AND SALE OF TRADITIONAL GOODS IN RECOGNITION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Basseterre, St. Kitts, 27th February 2025 (CFBC): The Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) History and Heritage Club, in honour of Black History Month, successfully organised an exhibition and sale of traditional goods on 26th February 2025. This event highlighted the rich black history, culture, and heritage of the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
By showcasing a variety of traditional items, the College aimed to celebrate and preserve the unique cultural legacy of the islands. The exhibition provided an opportunity for attendees to engage with and appreciate the diverse traditions that have shaped the identity of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Some of the exhibits included a goose iron, an antique iron used for pressing clothes, named for its distinctive shape resembling a goose or swan’s neck. There was also a chamber pot, a vessel used for urinating or defecating before indoor plumbing, typically kept in bedrooms for nighttime use. A pit latrine, a simple and cost-effective toilet that collects human waste in a hole in the ground, was also on display. This structure usually consists of a pit, a slab or floor with a drop hole, and a privacy shelter.
Other exhibits featured straw mats, a yabba pot—an earthenware pot traditionally used by Rastafarians, named from the Akan (Ashante) language—and a clay coal pot, a traditional cooking vessel used in various cultures, including St. Kitts and Nevis, designed to hold charcoal or coal. Additionally, there was a kerosene oil stove, a portable cooking device using kerosene as fuel, commonly used for camping and in areas without electricity. The collection also featured a typewriter, a mechanical or electromechanical device for typing characters onto paper, widely used by professional writers before personal computers and word processors became common. Also, the collection included a bottle lamp and an old Singer sewing machine.
Traditional local foods available for purchase included cassava bread, potato pudding, coconut tart, almond and coconut sugar cake, guava cheese, guava jam, sorrel drink, and lemonade. In addition, there were coconut dumplings, crushed green banana with saltfish, pickled mackerel, steamed and fried local fish, souse, breadfruit, and ground provisions.
The event also showcased local cookbooks, herbal remedies, and locally agro-processed foods such as cassava flour, breadfruit flour, mango and sorrel drink concentrates, and pepper sauces. Further, the event featured performances by clowns, captivating African drumming, and engaging poetry readings.
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