Black Meetings and Tourism

Black Meetings & Tourism February/March 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 22 out the Diaspora spoke to the nature of heritage tourism development in their respective countries. We were treated to the rhythms and music of Africa, a ses- sion entitled "A Celebration of African Diaspora Traditions of Head and Hair Styles," and the beauty of the Republic of Tanzania, site of ADHT in 2009. Three constants surfaced from the case studies. The first was the over- whelming consensus for the need to cap- ture our heritage. Second, a lack of fund- ing to support heritage tourism endeav- ors and third, how do we get our youth involved? Two sessions confronted the third issue directly; "Know Thyself, A Special Empowerment Session for Children and Youth of the History, Culture and the Values of the African Diaspora" and "A Student's Perspective on the African Diaspora Heritage Trail Concept." Andy Ingraham, president and CEO of the National Association of Black Hotel Owners Operators and Developers, spoke of the need to incorpo- rate our historical preservation into local tourism opera- tions and turn her- itage tourism into a moneymaking ven- ture. Ingraham touched on tax credits in the United States and the need to estab- lish partnerships. It's not a one size fits all, but he gave listeners a place to start. "Historical preservation is an emotional attachment," if approached the right way it could lead to the funding sources we all seek. Another conference highlight was the film, Slave Routes: A Global Vision, pro- duced by Mr. Georges Collinet and the UNESCO Slave Route Project. The film chronicled the history of slavery long before the despicable practice of bondage arrived on the shores of the West Indies and America. It took many years of painstaking research and Collinet's very financial limited resource – mostly his own money, to pull this film together. A session on the "Role of Historical Preservation In Cultural Tourism" was particularly informative because it dealt with the nuts and bolts of historic preser- vation using actual sites in and around Washington DC. How do you identify historical sites? What are the processes necessary to preserve buildings and maintain the authenticity during the restoration of a historic or cultural site? How do you deal with local govern- ments? Our host country, under the leadership of Dr. the Honorable Ewart F. Brown, J.P., M.P., Premier and Minister of Tourism and Trans-port for Bermuda offered attendees numerous opportunities for cultural exchange with the Bermudian community. We par- ticipated in a service of praise honoring emancipation from slavery, The Friendly Society March that celebrated Black fel- lowship and a theatrical performance, Trial By Fire: Sally Bassett's Stream of Consciousness. Sally Bassett was an elderly Black slave burned at the stake in 1730 after being convicted of attempting to poison her master. On a visit to Bermuda you might happen upon a local who utters the phrase it's a "regular Sarey or Sally Bassett day," meaning it's a very hot day. Many Bermudian's like to tell the story of a slave ship making the journey from Virginia to South Carolina back in 1835. The ship was blown off course and wound up in Bermuda. When the ship docked for provisions, local customs officials refused to allow the ship to set sail with the slaves. The slaves were eventually given a choice; remain in Bermuda as free people or return to slavery in America. Only six of the 78 slaves opted for a return to slavery. Many Bermudians trace their ancestry to those 72 people who remained on the island. And while we were all fully engaged in the conference, no gathering would be complete without a little break to enjoy each other and some music. Music great Chuck Jackson took the stage and per- formed some of his great hits including the song that propelled him to interna- tional stardom "Any Day Now" record- ed back in 1962. I would be remiss in my duties if I did- n't recognize two very special people. Gaynelle Henderson-Bailey and brother Jacob (Jake) R. Henderson, owners of Henderson Associates/Henderson Travel Service have coordinated the ADHT since its inception. As confer- ence directors, Henderson Associates was responsible for all planning, program development, identification and solicita- tion of speakers and on-site coordination of all activities. It was a beautifully cho- reographed conference. To learn more about ADHT and book your reservations for Tanzania in 2009, contact Gaynelle Henderson- Bailey at (301) -650-5700, ext 507 or email Gaynelle@hend.com.

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