Antiqua & Barbuda - Culture

The sun represents the dawning of a new era; red - the energy of the people; blue - hope; black, the African ancestry of the people. The combination of yellow, blue and white represent the sun, sand and sea.

Antigua and Barbuda , independent Commonwealth nation (1991 pop. 60,847), 171 sq mi (442 sq km), West Indies, in the Leeward Islands. It consists of the island of Antigua and two smaller islands, Barbuda and Redonda. Saint John's is the capital. Antigua is a hilly island with a heavily indented coast, while Barbuda is a flat coral island dominated by a large lagoon on its western side. Most residents are of African ancestry. Anglicanism is the predominant religion. Tourism is the most important industry, and there is a growing offshore financial services sector. Agriculture, fishing, and manufacturing are also pursued. Periodic hurricanes can cause heavy damage to the islands. The country has a parliamentary-style government with a bicameral legislature. The British monarch is the titular head of state, but primary executive power lies with the prime minister.

Antigua, the larger of the two main islands located 295 miles (420 km) south-southeast of San Juan, P.R., is low-lying except for a range of hills in the south that rise to their highest point at Boggy Peak (1,330 ft.; 405 m). Well-wooded Antigua is 108 sq. miles (280 sq. km); the island dependencies of Redonda, an uninhabited rocky islet and Barbuda, a coral island formerly known as Dulcina, are 0.5 sq. miles (1.30 sq. km) and 62 sq. miles (161 sq. km), respectively.

Codrington had come to Antigua to find out if the island would support the sort of large-scale sugar cultivation, that already flourished elsewhere in the Caribbean. His initial efforts proved to be quite successful, and over the next fifty years sugar cultivation on Antigua exploded. By the middle of the 18th century the island was dotted with more than 150 cane-processing windmills - each the focal point of a sizeable plantation. Today almost 100 of these picturesque stone towers remain, although they now serve as houses, bars, restaurants and shops. At Betty's Hope, Codrington's original sugar estate, visitors can see a fully-restored sugar mill.

It is a ten-day festival of colourful costumes, beauty pageants, talent shows, and especially good music. The festivities, which celebrates emancipation, are exciting and extensive, ranging from the Party Monarch and Calypso Monarch competitions of Calypsonians, the Panorama steel band competition, and the spectacular Parade of Bands to the Miss Antigua Pageant and the Caribbean Queen's Competition. In addition to these major events, the non-stop revelry of this eleven-day carnival includes innumerable smaller festivities, including local concerts, food fairs, parades, and cultural shows. Please join us at Carnival 2000, the Caribbean's greatest summer festival!

Activities, sailing has been a central part of Antigua's culture for centuries, ever since the British under Horatio Nelson made English Harbour their Caribbean base. Antiguans are more than a little devoted to cricket. The island has historically, been a very strong contributor to West Indian and international cricket, and the Antigua Recreation. Ground is one of the finest places in the Caribbean to take in a local, regional, or international match. Antigua & Barbuda has hundreds of wrecks to explore and good shelf diving. Dickenson Bay is the center of all windsurfing activity on Antigua. In January and July, the annual Windsurfing Antigua events are held there.

Hiking has not been much developed as an organized activity, although Antigua has many trails and tracks that are well suited to it. Most of the popular hikes lead to one or another of the island's many hilltop fortifications: Fort George sits atop Monk's Hill, and Fort Barrington, which where captured by the French in 1666, is on the promontory at Deep Bay. The Historical and Archaeological Society frequently arranges group hikes.