Restoring glory - Bluefields residents work towards community and tourism development

Mark Titus, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

With employment opportunities few and far between, and physical infrastructure falling into disrepair, the residents of Bluefields in Westmoreland have sought to establish programmes to develop the area.

The residents formed the Bluefield's People Community Association (BPCA), which will benefit a string of districts, from Cave to Whitehouse, spanning a six-mile radius with a population of 25,000.

"We came together five years ago and decided that hospitality would be the driver for our development, so we are moving to make Bluefields the bed-and-breakfast capital of the world," Wolde Kristos, BPCA chairman, told Western Focus.

Reggae legends Peter Tosh and Bob Andy are both sons of the area, and Kristos believes this connection could be used to create calendar entertainment festivals in their honour and to bring economic activities to the area.

The community-development plan is broken down into four areas: food, jobs, education, and the protection of the natural environment.

So far, the group has succeeded in having Bluefields Bay declared as a fish sanctuary, and through government funding, wardens have been hired to protect the prohibited areas.

Special project

Currently, the group has an aquaponic project - a process where fish are raised and crops for consumption are grown under one roof - funded by the United States Agency for International Development.

The venture is now in the training phase and will be followed by an expanded programme geared at mass production.

"We will be moving to increase this to some 2,000 fish, with about 10 rows of lettuce, which will be sold to generate revenue," said Livingston Thompson, manager of the project.

A cold-storage facility to keep fish under a pooling arrangement with the more than 54 registered fishermen from the Bluefields area has also been installed at the facility with assistance from Food For The Poor, the Dutch government, and other interest groups.

There is also a vibrant dressmaking facility, and the group has also acquired more than 10 computers for information-technology training.

Kristos, who was born and raised in the community, is also the chief executive officer of Reliable Adventures, which offers ecotours and hiking experiences in the hills.

"We have to play our part in the development of our youth, and this is one of the many ways."

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  History of Bluefields

BLUEFIELDS, Westmoreland:

The community of Bluefields in Westmoreland was originally called Oristan by the Spaniards, who are thought to have established the town no later than 1519.

However, archaeological research shows that the Tainos had settled the area from around 750 AD-1500 AD.

Recognising the strategic location, the Spaniards built a port that allowed them to monitor ships going to and from Spain. After the British arrived in the mid-1600s, the area became known as Bluefields.

Bluefields was originally spelt 'Blewfields' and is likely to have been named after Abraham Blauvelt, a Dutch pirate who frequented the area more than 300 years ago. He used it to careen and repair his vessels while eluding patrolling British warships.

As with the Spaniards, Bluefields became a popular port of call for the British, and slave ships frequented the area.

Between 1662 and 1719, the British authorities made 16 land grants in the Bluefields Bay area, and these lands were developed into plantation properties between 1700 and 1838.

The most dominant plantations in the area included Bluefields Estate, Mount Edgecombe Estate, and Shafston Estate, along with smaller estates in the area now referred to as Belmont.

In the post-Emancipation period, alternatives to sugar gradually developed in the area. These eventually included logwood production and cattle rearing, a lime juice factory, and a pimento oil factory.

In the 1940s, a government public-works initiative also helped to provide employment. Unfortunately, the logwood and pimento oil industries collapsed by the 1950s and the 1980s, respectively, and tragedy struck in June 1979 when floodwaters destroyed bridges and houses, changed river courses, and took many lives.

However, by the 1990s, government and private-sector initiatives led to Bluefields being branded as a community tourist destination, which now includes several family-operated guest houses. The all-inclusive Sandals Whitehouse Hotel is nearby.