Culture & Heritage
The objectives were to provide an overview of the Cayman Islands’ leading arts and cultural organisations and groups, examine their contributions to our community and their impact on business and tourism.
After the tour of the National Museum, The dinner and seminar took place at the F+M Office, at Governor’s Square, with a debrief at Door No 4, the Grove.
Speakers during the breakout sessions were Lyle Frederick, Architect, Co-Founder of Frederick + McRae Architecture & Interior Design Firm; Samuel Rose, Cabinet Secretary. Chief Officer, Cayman Islands Government; and Natalie Urquhart, Director and Chief Curator National Gallery Cayman Islands
Discussion during the Breakout sessions was lively, robust, and wide-ranging touching on every cultural aspect, from architecture to music to new ways of life and the effect of new industries and ways of life.
In the past, most of the people of the Cayman Islands got their livelihood from the sea through fishing, turtle harvesting, and as merchant seamen. In the 21st century, the islands have thrived in the finance and tourism sectors.
Cultural heritage implies a shared bond, our belonging to a community. It represents our history and our identity; our bond to the past, to our present, and the future.
Participants gained an understanding of the past by examining various aspects of Cayman’s cultural heritage. But the focus was firmly rooted in the present, looking at all the currents that are shifting and changing local culture – and seeing what it might look like in the future
Those currents include all the different cultures brought here through immigration – the 2023 Census showed that, for the first time Caymanians had become the minority in their own country, with approximately 113 nationalities make up the residents of the three islands comprising the country. Forces of rapid development, technology and globalization all play a significant role in shifting culture.