The Cat Island Accordion & French Camp (CIAF), founded by Diana Hamilton in response to the concerns of Cat Island accordionist Frank Williams, is dedicated to ensuring the survival of the accordion, a key element of Bahamian Rake 'nScrape music. Without the accordion, this treasured Bahamian musical tradition risks disappearing entirely.

In 2013, French maestro accordionist Robert Santiago began teaching musically inclinedyouth on Cat Island the art of the accordion. Over the years, local accordionists havejoined in, passing down melodies inherited from African ancestors and adding theircompositions. This year, the non-profit Bahamas Accordion Association (BAA) wasincorporated as an umbrella organization for CIAF, with the shared goal of preserving theinstrument and traditional Rake 'n Scrape for future generations.

The most recent highlight is the Accordion Revival Camp, a ten-day workshop hosted atZion Baptist Church on East & Shirley Street. Thanks to generous sponsors and expertinstructors, the event was a tremendous success. Participants ranged from ages five toseventy-five, including returning campers.

The camp was led by Graeme Mackay, a third-generation champion accordionist from theNorth of Scotland, who has taught and performed internationally for over 20 years.Graeme’s teaching was complemented by his spouse, Magdalena Mackay, a professionalpianist and composer from Poland. Magdalena introduced participants to DalcrozeEurhythmics, a method that uses body movement to help students feel and internalizemusic. Additional workshops included voice lessons and choral sessions, with remarkableresults.

Afternoon activities kicked off with Scottish dances, setting the stage for future quadrilledancing workshops. The camp concluded with a public performance at Zion Baptist, muchto the audience’s delight. All participants received certificates of participation orcompletion, celebrating their achievements.

A special moment of the camp was the visit from Bahamian accordion legend OphieWebb, of Ophie & the Webbsites, a famous Rake 'n Scrape band. Webb moved attendees to tears with his story of learning the accordion, an instrument once forbidden to children,followed by a short but inspiring performance.

This year’s Accordion Revival Camp would not have been possible without the support ofour generous sponsors, whom we sincerely thank:

• Stephan Wieland, Head of Sales at HOHNER, for his vision and support in providingaccordions.
• Beat Schlagenhauf, for ensuring timely payment and shipment of the instruments.
• Ministry of Culture & Director Mrs. Deleveaux-Grant, for their active support.
• Minister of Tourism, for covering costly repairs.
• Mrs. Elaine Pinder, for providing accommodation for our instructors.
• Zion Baptist Church & Pastor T.G. Morisson, for hosting the event.
• Atlantis & Ms. Tosheena Robinson, for offering weekend vouchers for ourinstructors and media assistance.
• Bahamas Cooperative League and Imperial Mattress & Furniture for theirsupport.
• Shavaughn Moss, for her excellent article in the Guardian newspaper.
• Gandhi Pinder, for the interview on ZNS news.
• Mr. Roland Bosfield from C-Trees, for gifting our beautiful T-shirts.
• Cara Hunt at the Tribune, for the weekend article.
• Sara Dama Gelato donation
• Pam Burnside & Creative Nassau, for helping to promote the event.
• Ceilidh Cabin - Magdalena & Graeme Mackay, for their tremendous investment atall levels and for getting coverage in the Sottish Media: STV news, KCR radioScotland and multiple Newspapers. 

This camp has inspired a renewed dedication to preserving the accordion and traditionalBahamian music, ensuring its continued legacy for future generations.

For further information, please contact:
Diana Hamilton
Founder & Director, Cat Island Accordion & French Camp
Email: ms.dianahamilton@gmail.com
Phone: (242) 477-2955

— The Cat Island Accordion & French Camp (CIAF), founded by Diana Hamilton in response to the concerns of Cat Island accordionist Frank Williams, is dedicated to ensuring the survival of the accordion, a key element of Bahamian Rake 'n Scrape music. Without the accordion, this treasured Bahamian musical tradition risks disappearing entirely. In 2013, French maestro accordionist Robert Santiago began teaching musically inclined youth on Cat Island the art of the accordion. Over the years, local accordionists have joined in, passing down melodies inherited from African ancestors and adding their compositions. This year, the non-profit Bahamas Accordion Association (BAA) was incorporated as an umbrella organization for CIAF, with the shared goal of preserving the instrument and traditional Rake 'n Scrape for future generations. The most recent highlight is the Accordion Revival Camp, a ten-day workshop hosted at Zion Baptist Church on East & Shirley Street. Thanks to generous sponsors and expert instructors, the event was a tremendous success. Participants ranged from ages five to seventy-five, including returning campers. The camp was led by Graeme Mackay, a third-generation champion accordionist from the North of Scotland, who has taught and performed internationally for over 20 years. Graeme’s teaching was complemented by his spouse, Magdalena Mackay, a professional pianist and composer from Poland. Magdalena introduced participants to Dalcroze Eurhythmics, a method that uses body movement to help students feel and internalize music. Additional workshops included voice lessons and choral sessions, with remarkable results. Afternoon activities kicked off with Scottish dances, setting the stage for future quadrille dancing workshops. The camp concluded with a public performance at Zion Baptist, much to the audience’s delight. All participants received certificates of participation or completion, celebrating their achievements. A special moment of the camp was the visit from Bahamian accordion legend Ophie Webb, of Ophie & the Webbsites, a famous Rake 'n Scrape band. Webb moved attendees  to tears with his story of learning the accordion, an instrument once forbidden to children, followed by a short but inspiring performance. This year’s Accordion Revival Camp would not have been possible without the support of our generous sponsors, whom we sincerely thank: • Stephan Wieland, Head of Sales at HOHNER, for his vision and support in providing accordions. • Beat Schlagenhauf, for ensuring timely payment and shipment of the instruments. • Ministry of Culture & Director Mrs. Deleveaux-Grant, for their active support. • Minister of Tourism, for covering costly repairs. • Mrs. Elaine Pinder, for providing accommodation for our instructors. • Zion Baptist Church & Pastor T.G. Morisson, for hosting the event. • Atlantis & Ms. Tosheena Robinson, for offering weekend vouchers for our instructors and media assistance. • Bahamas Cooperative League and Imperial Mattress & Furniture for their support. • Shavaughn Moss, for her excellent article in the Guardian newspaper. • Gandhi Pinder, for the interview on ZNS news. • Mr. Roland Bosfield from C-Trees, for gifting our beautiful T-shirts. • Cara Hunt at the Tribune, for the weekend article. • Sara Dama Gelato donation • Pam Burnside & Creative Nassau, for helping to promote the event. • Ceilidh Cabin - Magdalena & Graeme Mackay, for their tremendous investment at all levels and for getting coverage in the Sottish Media: STV news, KCR radio Scotland and multiple Newspapers.  This camp has inspired a renewed dedication to preserving the accordion and traditional Bahamian music, ensuring its continued legacy for future generations. For further information, please contact: Diana Hamilton Founder & Director, Cat Island Accordion & French Camp Email: ms.dianahamilton@gmail.com Phone: (242) 477-2955

Goombay Summer Festival 2024 -- Downtown, Nassau, Friday evening, July 26.   Other dates in August -- August 9 and August 16, downtown, Nassau. 

The 65th Annual E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival visited the Wemyss Bight Primary School in South Eleuthera, on May 8, 2024, and the students did not disappoint, with a dance routine and an impressive Choral Verse Speaking performance. 

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture 2024 E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival got off to a melodious start in Grand Bahama on April 8 at the Belinda Wilson Convention Centre.

The annual platform allows students and members of the public from throughout the country to showcase their talents in music, drama, dance and visual artform in national competition.

A team of nine Ministry officials are on island to adjudicate the performances from 30 private and public schools, which includes bands in pop, jazz, rake ‘n’ scrape and junkanoo, over the two-week period.

The music division encompasses choral singing, solos in female and male voices, gospel, Bahamian, pop, rhythm and blues, jazz, theatre, Broadway, folk, rap and acappella songs.

In the Dance division, the entries range from classical ballet, to Bahamian folk, international folk, modern, jazz, liturgical, choreographed dance, drama to popular dance.

The drama segment of the festival has entries from first graders, all the way to high school in individual and choral verse speaking, dramatized characterization, storytelling, origination poetry, spoken word to skits.

Additional categories include triple threat, a compilation of music, dance and drama, as well as woodwinds, brass, keyboard, recorder, drumming, DJ sampling and photography.

The festival also has an open category in which members from the community from aged two to adult can enter and compete.

A number adults from the community have entered this year’s competition in the music and visual art divisions.

The E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival is being held in Grand Bahama through April 19, 2024.

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture 2024 E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival got off to a melodious start in Grand Bahama on April 8 at the Belinda Wilson Convention Centre. The annual platform allows students and members of the public from throughout the country to showcase their talents in music, drama, dance and visual artform in national competition. A team of nine Ministry officials are on island to adjudicate the performances from 30 private and public schools, which includes bands in pop, jazz, rake ‘n’ scrape and junkanoo, over the two-week period. The music division encompasses choral singing, solos in female and male voices, gospel, Bahamian, pop, rhythm and blues, jazz, theatre, Broadway, folk, rap and acappella songs. In the Dance division, the entries range from classical ballet, to Bahamian folk, international folk, modern, jazz, liturgical, choreographed dance, drama to popular dance. The drama segment of the festival has entries from first graders, all the way to high school in individual and choral verse speaking, dramatized characterization, storytelling, origination poetry, spoken word to skits. Additional categories include triple threat, a compilation of music, dance and drama, as well as woodwinds, brass, keyboard, recorder, drumming, DJ sampling and photography. The festival also has an open category in which members from the community from aged two to adult can enter and compete. A number adults from the community have entered this year’s competition in the music and visual art divisions. The E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival is being held in Grand Bahama through April 19, 2024.