Africa in Our Bones: The Influence of African History on National Development in the Bahamian 21st Century
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Congratulations to Our First-Place Winner, Keia Dean
Black Food Bookstore & Culture Shop is proud to recognize Keia Dean, winner of our 1st Annual Essay Competition. Her essay, “Africa in Our Bones: The Influence of African History on National Development in the Bahamian 21st Century,” looks at how African roots continue to shape life in The Bahamas today—socially, culturally, and economically.
Keia’s writing reminds us that African history isn’t just something we read about in books—it’s part of who we are and how we grow as a people. We’re happy to share her work and celebrate her well-earned first-place win.
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When I think about The Bahamas, my home, my people, my identity, I don't just see white-sand beaches and cruise ships. I see the long echoes of footsteps carried across the Atlantic Ocean. I hear stories my grandmother told me that were never written in any textbook. I feel the weight of a history we didn't choose, but one we have turned into strength. African history isn't just in our past, it's in our present. It's in the rhythm of our Junkanoo, the stories behind our surnames, and even in the way we survive, rebuild, and lead. In the 21st century, this African foundation continues to shape national development across all 700 islands and cays of The Bahamas, socially, economically, and culturally. It's not just history, it's blueprint.
To understand the future of Bahamian national development, we have to start with a brutally honest fact: The Bahamas was shaped by slavery. Enslaved Africans, brought against their will, became the builders of this nation, literally and figuratively. They built the roads. They built the culture. They kept knowledge alive through oral traditions, folk medicine, agriculture, and even rebellion. African resistance, through revolts like the Pompey Rebellion in Exuma, was an early spark of what we now call national pride. These acts of resistance weren't just emotional reactions, they were calculated, brave decisions to reclaim dignity and agency in a foreign land. They planted the seeds of Bahamian independence long before 1973. That mindset, the refusal to settle for oppression, is still what drives Bahamians today to push for progress.
In the 21st century, we're watching the reawakening of African-rooted pride in powerful ways. Junkanoo, once looked down on as mere street noise, is now recognized as a national treasure and even considered for UNESCO cultural heritage status. But beyond the music and feathers is something much deeper, a reconnection to African modes of storytelling, rhythm, and resistance. Junkanoo isn't just a parade, it's a political statement, an economic engine, and a classroom. It teaches us how African Bahamians preserved identity under colonial rule. Today, Bahamian students study these traditions in schools, using them to create cultural tourism initiatives that bring income to Family Islands like Andros and Cat Island, places once excluded from major national development plans.
Even in governance, we can trace African influence. Communal decision-making, shared responsibility, and the strong role of elders in Bahamian family life echo African systems of leadership. The Bahamas' commitment to democracy and public service, though shaped through British colonialism, has an underlying African communalism at its root. In many settlements on the Family Islands, where formal government presence is light, local leadership thrives through church groups, women's councils, and family line influence, systems not unlike the clan structures of West Africa.
African heritage also directly fuels modern economic development. In a 2022 report by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, cultural heritage tourism was identified as a growing sector, with visitors increasingly seeking "authentic, African-rooted Bahamian experiences." From bush tea workshops to storytelling nights led by elders, these are not just cute gimmicks for tourists, they are job creators. They empower locals, especially young people, to see value in what was once dismissed as "backward" or "bush." Now, young Bahamians are starting cultural businesses, creating fashion lines inspired by Ghanaian prints, and hosting African food festivals. This is entrepreneurship rooted in identity.
What's more, African spirituality and health practices are making a comeback in 21st century Bahamian wellness culture. For example, traditional bush medicine, once scorned, is now respected and documented. In the book "Old Time Remedies: Bahamian Bush Medicine" by Dr. Cynthia Sawyer, she explains how many of the plants we use today for healing, like cerasee, neem, and fever grass, trace back to African herbal traditions. In a time when modern healthcare is expensive and hard to access on remote islands, these traditions aren't just history, they're survival. Bahamians are rediscovering the science in our roots.
Still, we must be honest, the legacy of colonialism and racism hasn't disappeared. African history is often still treated like an optional chapter in our curriculum. This is a major issue. How can we develop a truly independent nation if we don't fully understand the minds and hands that built it? That's why education reform must be a priority in our national development plan. We need to teach African history not as a foreign subject, but as our history, tied to our land, our struggles, and our dreams.
Personally, learning about our African past has changed the way I see myself. I'm not just a descendant of enslaved people. I'm a descendant of scientists, farmers, kings, rebels, artists, and healers. That gives me pride. That gives me power. And I know I'm not the only one. Across the islands, from Bimini to Inagua, young Bahamians are reclaiming African names, creating documentaries, starting ancestry projects, and leading conversations about Black empowerment. We are using our history not to dwell in pain, but to launch our purpose.
In conclusion, African history isn't some side note in Bahamian life, it's the spine of it. In the 21st century, this history is not fading. It's blooming. It's in our policies, our business ideas, our art, our voices. It is shaping how we see development, not just in terms of roads and buildings, but in people, pride, and power. As we move forward as a nation, we cannot leave our past behind. Because the African blood that was spilled to build this land is still beating in every one of us. And that is what makes The Bahamas unshakable.
Citations:
1. Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation. (2022). Bahamas Cultural Tourism Sector Report. Government of The Bahamas.
2. Sawyer, C. (2006). Old Time Remedies: Bahamian Bush Medicine. Nassau: Media Enterprises Ltd.
Bibliography:
Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation. (2022). Bahamas Cultural Tourism Sector Report. Nassau, The Bahamas: Government Printing Department.
Sawyer, C. (2006). Old Time Remedies: Bahamian Bush Medicine. Nassau, The Bahamas: Media Enterprises Ltd.
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