NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK! Greeting and salutations one and all!
faith in us. • Started to build a Management Team which will have provision for young people to be part of that structure and inform our work with young people. • Informed the St Kitts & Nevis High Commission of our existence. • Made contact with several other St Kitts & Nevis groups to introduce ourselves.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about the Association of St Kitts & Nevis Descendants, which will also be known as ‘ASKaND’. ASKaND is a new association which at its core is the desire to bring people together that share a common heritage, culture and/or interest in St Kitts & Nevis. We want to promote and highlight our twin-island heritage, culture and interests through community activism, the arts, member and community events and education. We especially want to re-open our heritage and culture to those in our St Kitts & Nevis community whose Kittitian and Nevisian links have diminished over the years. We hope that by reinvigorating those links, we will give everyone a sense of belonging to a land and to a culture steeped in a rich history. We also want to be inclusive of other commu-
nities and groups; who in agreement with our aims and objectives, we would be happy to have them join our membership. So what have we done so far? We have identified our association as an ‘unincorporated’ non-profit organisation. • Developed and agreed our constitution which outlines our aims and objectives. • Developing a membership package, which although we are new, we were keen to show our appreciation to our members for putting their •
In this issue
Meet Dr Drew!
We hope that as you read about what we have done to date, you will see that the work began straightaway; and we look forward to keeping you apprised of our actions as we progress.
SKN Travel Restrictions Lifted
Jacqui Daniels ASKaND Chair
Mango Capital of the Caribbean
NEWSPAPER
September 2022 //Volume 2, Issue #001
MEET DR DREW! THE 4TH ST KITTS & NEVIS PM
2021. This is a non-profit, nonpartisan organisation that aims to provide assistance to citizens nationally, across both islands of St. Kitts & Nevis.
Featured Article Links •
New Kids On The Block!
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Meet Dr Drew!
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St Kitts and Nevis Just Lifted All Travel Restrictions
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This Unexpected West Indies Island Is The Mango
The Honourable Dr Terrance M. Drew is the 4th Prime Minister of the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis following General Elections on August 5th, 2022, in which he led the St. Kitts & Nevis Labour Party to secure an outright majority in Parliament, winning 6 of the 11 seats in the National Assembly. Prime Minister Drew also currently holds the portfolios of Minister of Finance, National Security, Immigration, Health, and Social Security.
Dr Drew is serving his first term as the elected Member of Parliament for the constituency of St. Christopher 8. Prime Minister Drew serves as the Lead Head of Government within CARICOM bearing responsibility for Health.
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Born Terrance Michael Drew on 22 November 1976 (age 45), the Prime Minister grew up in the community of Upper Monkey Hill located in the parish of St. Peter and is the son of Ras Gerzel Pet Mills and Michael ‘Mic Stokes’ Heyliger. A medical doctor, Prime Minister Drew has provided health care as a General Practitioner at the Joseph Nathaniel France General Hospital as well as via private practice in St. Kitts, following his studies at Instituto Superior de Ciencias Médicas in Santa Clara, in Cuba (from 1998), and has specialized in Internal Medicine in St. Kitts, following his studies at the Paul Foster School of Medicine in Texas (2010-2013)
Capital Of The Caribbean
Members Meetings All ASKaND Members meetings will be held at the BCA, Jenkins Street, Birmingham, B10 0PQ at 1900hrs. Friday—7th October 2022 Friday—4th November 2022 Friday—2nd December 2022 Friday—6th January 2023 Friday—3rd February 2023
Friday—3rd March 2023 Friday—7th April 2023 Friday—5th May 2023 Friday—2nd June 2023
He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM); and, founded the C.A.R.E. Foundation in February
Friday—7th July 2023 Friday—4th August 2023
September 2022 //Volume 2, Issue #001
NEWSPAPER
St Kitts and Nevis Lift All Travel Restrictions holding its Sweet Side of Summer travel program, which includes three nights free at all participating hotels. In November, the destination launches its annual Grill Fest, a showcase of local grill masters and “exceptional food and drink.”
St Kitts and Nevis is the latest Caribbean destination to officially remove all of its travel restrictions, Caribbean Journal has confirmed. The update means that travellers no longer have to show proof of a negative test or show proof of vaccination to enter the Federation. There’s also no quarantine of any kind. All travellers to St Kitts and Nevis do still have to fill out an online customs and immigration form before arrival. The move comes under the guidance of new St Kitts and Nevis’ new Prime Minister, Dr Terrance Drew, who also serves as Minister of Health. “The removal of entry testing and vaccination requirements
comes at a time when traveller confidence is on the rise. The combination of increasing demand and more seamless travel processes will make St. Kitts even more desirable to visitors abroad,” said Ellison “Tommy” Thompson, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “We are pleased to communicate the removal of restrictions which would improve the destination’s travel experience.”
“We’re excited to be taking this crucial step to fully open Nevis’ borders to the world,” said Devon Liburd, CEO of the Nevis Tourism Authority. “Lifting these protocols will allow us to further share our rich culture and offerings to visitors coming to the island. For more, visit: https:// www.stkittstourism.kn/.
The change comes as St Kitts is
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September 2022 //Volume 2, Issue #001
NEWSPAPER
NEVIS - THE MANGO CAPITAL OF THE CARIBBEAN Nevis, a less than 36-square-mile island was once a star in the sugar trade world, but when the last sugar factory shut down in the 1950s it became an island that thrives on tourism, Although it’s not an island that’s typically on everyone’s radar. A peaceful and magical getaway, Nevis is a barely touched gem that allows its visitors to get a true taste of the Caribbean. And one of those delicious things you’ll undoubtedly taste on a visit to Nevis is mango - 44 different kinds, in fact. There are so many mangoes on Nevis that it’s without a doubt the Mango Capital of the Caribbean, but you’ve got to visit the island in order to enjoy this abundantly juicy fruit since it’s not exported off the island..
produce.” Some of the more popular varieties are God’s Blood, Ice Cream, Round Ball, Amory Polly, Stephen, Teeny, Julies, Cream, and Grafted mangoes — all of which Bankie mentions he can recognise by blind tasting or with just a quick glance at the fruit. Scenes from the mango cocktail competition (Tourism Authority).
There are 44 official varieties of mangoes in Nevis (Tourism Authority).
With as many mangoes as there are on the island, Bankie says they can’t possibly use them all. “We’re almost overrun with mangos. We can’t make our way through all of them,” says Bankie.
Bankie hosted several mango tasting sessions at the Nevis Mango Festival (Tourism Authority)
Ronald “Bankie” King, not only works for the Nevis Department of Agriculture, but he’s known for being the foremost expert in all-things mango in Nevis. Though the official variety count of mangoes in Nevis is 44, Bankie says there’s easily 200 or so that he can name off the top of his head, because over the years people have grafted trees from other countries and brought them over knowing they’d thrive in the island’s soil. “Because of Nevis Peak (a potentially active volcano that sits in the very centre of the island), our soil is rich and mangoes can grow anywhere,” says Bankie. “Everyone has mango trees, they even grow wild on the side of the road. You don’t really have to nurture or take care of the trees for them to survive. They just appear and
Plus, with the regulations around fruits, it’s not possible for them to export this delicious crop, because it can be affected by the mango seed weevil. Fortunately, this pest doesn’t affect mangoes eaten on the island, but requires that every Nevisian mango stays put basically in its own version of quarantine.
The festival features dozens of chefs from both Nevis and St. Kitts showcasing mango-centric dishes. Think mango chutneys, mango salsas, mango curries, mango hot sauce, mango smoothies, mango skewers, mango rice — everything mango. There’s also a Mango Eating Contest, a Mango Cocktail Competition with some of the island’s top bartenders, a Mango Wellness Zone where guests are treated to mini massages using mango butter products, and a Mango Cooking Competition featuring notable local chefs who compete Chopped-style on stage with a mystery basket of ingredients while still making sure to highlight Nevis mangoes in each dish.
In an attempt to make use of the thousands of mangoes produced on Nevis each year, the Nevis Tourism Authority hosts an annual Nevis Mango Festival that takes place the first weekend in July featuring three days of events and activities all centred around the tasty fruit, as July is peak season for mangoes. “With so many different types of mangoes grown here, they are an integral part of Nevisian cuisine,” said Devon Liburd, Nevis Tourism Authority interim CEO. “Each variety has a slightly different look, taste and texture, giving our chefs lots of opportunities to be creative. We believe the Mango Festival is the perfect way to experience a Caribbean vacation with a distinctively Nevisian flavour.”
Mangojito: a refreshing mango-forward take on a Mojito (Four Seasons, Nevis).
Looking to sip your mango? Opt for the Mangojito, a fun take on a mojito made with Brinley mango rum, mango puree, soda, mint, and lime. If you’re visiting, don’t be shy in your mango consumption. The locals say they are best eating straight from the tree and there’s plenty to go around! Page 4