By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 7th September 2018) –With thousands of photos, artefacts and other historical items in his possession, well-known cultural preservationist Winston ‘Zack’ Nisbett is gearing up to unveil a new public exhibition for the first time in two years since moving from Central Street to Buckley’s Estate.
This media house had an exclusive chit-chat with the nicknamed ‘Doctor of Culture’ who has informed that the items to be displayed at the Zack’s Historical-Cultural Library Museum will showcase an educational imagery of slavery to independence.
An official opening ceremony is slated to take place on Friday 14th September-in the days leading up to two major nationalistic holidays- National Heroes Day (16th September) and Independence Day (19th September).
“We will be having an exhibition here and it will be an indication of the transformation from slavery right up until now, and you can see the number of pictures that I have inside that will be mounted on panel boards and bigger boards. At nights, I sit here and I formulate the pictures with the writings so that they can be seen from a distance.”
Nisbett said the images would highlight most of the prominent persons who have contributed over the years to the political and socio-economic development of St.Kitts-Nevis, Anguilla and the wider Caribbean. Such figures include Robert L. Bradshaw (first National Hero of St.Kitts-Nevis), Joseph N. France, Thomas Manchester, Edgar Challenger as well as Dereck Walcott of St. Lucia and Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago.
“It will be really good. It is something important for St.Kitts and Nevis. I am taking my time with it. This is a serious thing. I’m not making any joke.”
Commenting on the significance of the Buckley’s Estate, he said: “The whole area is very historical and it would be one the more established places for tourism because it was where the 1935 Buckley’s Riot was held and if you look and see I have some of the relics here that were used in those days that are significant like the copper and some of the old machineries. They are there and I’m making sure that they are cleaned up and look presentable, and when I say presentable- the look of these pieces would not be changed up with paint and so forth but we will try to preserve them as much as possible and have them in a way so that tourists as well as locals can see what we once went through, where we came from and where we’re going because it’s always important to reflect.”
Found at Nisbett’s new location is an old sugar mill.
“The mill is going to play a significant role in all that development so it’s important that we preserve our heritage and do not get the rid of it so that no one can come and juts take it away from us to restore our things. This is our restoration, this is our historical value; it is for St.Kitts and the entire Federation on a whole and it is something that will enhance the whole country’s development from a historical perspective and that is what we have here and we must nurture it and we must not let anybody take us for granted. We must have it preserved for prosperity.”
Moving from his old location stemmed from some property challenges he encountered and although trying not to rehash such bitter details of the past, Nisbett did share with this reporter that “a lot of my things were stolen and persons who I thought better of, they laughed and they giggled with me but they are like wolves in sheep clothing.”
He has assured his supporters that he is ready to make his comeback.
“We must at all times try for excellence and as long as you have God nobody could do you anything. As long as you are positive and have the visions to create an environment that would make things better in the country and institutions of such magnitude it is significant so I just want to say to everybody let sleeping dogs lie. You haven’t seen anything yet!”
At present, he is facing a land issue concerning the Buckley’s Estate spot. He informed, however, that the government has stepped in to assist.
For over 14 years, Nisbett resided and worked from the Edgar Challenger International House Museum and Library situated on Central Street within the vicinity of Government Headquarters.