Featured Archives - Antigua and Barbuda

Watch. This. Space!

Posted on January 5, 2026January 5, 2026 by admin

It is a new year, but our mode of operating remains the same. We have recharged and are working steadfastly towards the main historic event of the nation’s UNESCO ICH-sponsored National Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Project.

That is, the creation of Antigua and Barbuda’s first ever Intangible Cultural Heritage Database, the key to re-invigorating our intangible cultural heritage. Look out for a comprehensive update on the ICH project and its history-making cultural database on January 19, 2026!

And, yes, the Warri Revival Program, the ICH safeguarding pilot exercise launched August 2025, will continue this year, venturing into more schools, and institutions in the private and civil sectors.

Since the launch of the Warri Revival Program, we have been getting many questions. Below are the top three along with our answers.

Question 1: Are the official UNESCO-sponsored Warri Revival Program boards for sale?

Answer: Sorry, no. The official Warri boards are not for sale. They are for the use of our Warri trainers in the training sessions designed to spread the knowledge and skill of Warri across Antigua and Barbuda. HOWEVER, we will soon be introducing Warri board-making training sessions for nineteen (19) youths in Antigua and Barbuda. Look out for more on that in our January 19^th update.

Question 2: Is there an age limit for participation in the Warri playing training sessions?

Answer: Well, let’s put it this way, so far, we have had trainees from five years old to 80 years plus-some-ABST old.

We have undertaken, and will continue conducting, training in schools, and with groups from the private and civil sectors. Want to book a group session/attend a training session? Please contact Mr. Trevor Simon of the Antigua and Barbuda Warri Academy (ABWA) at (268) 784-7172. The ABWA is the facilitator of the Warri Revival Program.

Question 3: When will the Warri Revival Program and all training come to an end?

Answer: An END? An END!! We do not use words like those around here. The UNESCO-funded portion of the program will end this year, but the Warri Revival Program is here to stay!

Stay tuned for our January 19^th update!

Visit here in the meantime for an overview of the Warri Revival Program and the National ICH Project.

Old Game, Big Buzz!

Posted on November 12, 2025January 5, 2026 by admin

This just in! In a world of screens, swipes, and fancy video games, our young people are enthusiastically embracing our traditional mathematical board game, Warri. All thanks to the School Call Een phase of the Warri Revival Programme. Could this lead to higher maths scores in the future? Listen, as our youth speak out about Warri !

Warri 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀: Trevor “Simple” Simon, Terrance “Kambue” Charles, and Peter Derryck of 𝗔𝗕𝗪𝗔.

With the School Call Een phase of the Warri Revival Programme, repeating in school is a good thing! This phase features repeat training sessions at schools across Antigua, with sessions in Barbuda scheduled for late November.

The Warri Revival Programme, facilitated by ABWA, falls under the National ICH Project that is funded by the UNESCO ICH Fund and led by Cultural Advisor Dr. Hazra Medica.

One of the Revival Programme’s main goals is to train five hundred and fifty (550) students and fifty (50) members of the business community, churches, community, and sports groups in the history and sport of playing Warri. The programme has already surpassed its target number for adult participation and is well on track to meeting its target for youth engagement.

For its part, the ICH Project is designed to address the urgent need, long voiced by the public, to safeguard important elements of our living heritage before they vanish. It will also bring to the forefront hitherto untapped economic activities and opportunities existing within our traditional knowledge, skills, and cultural heritage. To learn more about the project, click here.

Get Ready for Art Week!

Posted on October 23, 2025November 12, 2025 by admin

From the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.

Antigua and Barbuda Art Week returns for its third edition, from November 26 – December 2, 2025, with over fifty talented artists from Antigua and Barbuda. Promising a burst of ‘Culture in Colour’, the event will showcase the vibrancy and creativity of artists in the twin-islands.

The 2025 edition will feature a line-up of outstanding visual artists to include Heather Doram, Mark Brown, Makŏ Williams, Emile Hill, Gilly Gobinet, Dina Brozzi Goodenough, Faye Edwards, Stephen Murphy, Carol Gordan-Goodwin, Jan Farara, Dylan Phillips, Guava De Artist, Gilly Gobinet, Nkoye Zifah, Kelly Hull, Glenroy Aaron, Candi Coates, Anfrenette Joseph, Gerron Farquharson, Marc Xavier, Sadiki Roberts and Dominique Trotman.

Joining the list will be students of the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies – Fine Arts and Creative Studies Department, with an exhibition called ‘Vernacular’, and finalists in the Art Week Student Art Competition.

Art Week 2025 will feature exciting contributions from the Antigua and Barbuda diaspora and the neighbouring Caribbean Island of Nevis. Returning Diaspora artists include Kwame Delfish from Canada, and Odessa Whitlock from the USA. Artist Vaughn Anslyn born in the Island of Nevis, where he has become a household name when it comes to art, will also be present for Antigua and Barbuda Art Week.

Art Week features a mix of free and paid events. Event Tickets start as low as EC$70. The full event schedule, and Hotel Packages starting from US$259 per night are now available on visitantiguabarbuda.com

Antigua and Barbuda Art Week is presented by the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, The Department of Culture and Long Bay Brewing.

For more details and the full Art Week 2025 schedule, please visit HERE.

The Warri-ing Now Start!

Posted on September 14, 2025October 23, 2025 by admin

Friends! The August Warri Training Programme might have ended. But the Warri Revival Project is not done! In fact, it jus a come!

August marked a major win for Warri, the cherished African strategy game and cultural retention. The Youth Warri Training Programme, a flagship initiative of the Warri Revival Project, kicked off at the National Public Library, attracting much interest and bringing fresh energy and focus to the traditional game.

While attendance varied from week to week, a dedicated core of 18 young participants stayed the course, embraced the challenge, and levelled up their game. From August 6–29, Mondays to Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,they were guided in the history and nuances of the game by Grandmaster Trainer Trevor Simon, Senior Trainer Peter Derryck, and four newly-certified youth Warri trainers: Jaquani Daniel, A’joné Christian, Tyrique Adams, and Ezekiel Joseph.

An Adult Warri Training Programme was also launched alongside the youth sessions and was received with much enthusiasm. On Saturdays, the Multipurpose Cultural Centre came alive with the sounds of Warri-playing, with each session running from 1–4 PM. Originally designed for 50 adults across Antigua and Barbuda, strong public demand has already led to a planned expanded reach.

The August Warri training sessions were just the beginning! 🎯 The end goal of the Warri Revival Project ? To have 550 youths and 100 adults across Antigua and Barbuda engaged with Warri by Easter 2026.

The Warri Revival Programme is part of the UNESCO-sponsored National Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Project, led by Cultural Advisor Dr. Hazra C. Medica, and facilitated by the Antigua and Barbuda Warri Academy.

Warri’s Great Comeback!

Posted on August 13, 2025November 12, 2025 by admin

Youths are playing it again! Adults too! The nation’s traditional board game, WARRI, is making a powerful comeback! Check out the videos below, and other videos on our YouTube channel, for a window into the progress of the WARRI REVIVAL PROJECT.

Want to learn how to play? We have made signing up for the free training sessions easy! SIGN UP HERE: WARRI SIGNUP. 🎉 Parents, sign up your children! Adults, sign up yourself! 🏢 Private & civil sector organizations, get your teams in! ✨ Be part of something meaningful. This is your chance to master one of our oldest and proudest traditions! 😄

Antigua Youth Training Sessions– Mondays to Fridays: 6-29 August 2025, 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the National Public Library.

Barbuda Training Sessions – September (venue and time to be announced).

Antigua Adult Training Sessions (Saturdays): August 9, 16, 23, and 30, 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Multipurpose Cultural Centre.

If you have any scheduling conflicts or further questions, please call/WhatsApp Mr. Trevor Simon at 784-7172.

The Warri Revival Project is led by Cultural Advisor Dr. Hazra Medica, facilitated by the Antigua and Barbuda Warri Academy, and sponsored by the UNESCO ICH Fund.

For frequent updates on the Warri Revival and other National ICH Project programmes, please like and follow our Facebook page: ANBCIS

To learn more about Warri, and the Antigua and Barbuda Warri Academy, click here.

To learn more about the Antigua and Barbuda National ICH Project, click here.

NEW! Warri Training Sessions!

Posted on July 22, 2025August 13, 2025 by admin

New! Warri Gets a Boost

Posted on July 14, 2025July 22, 2025 by admin

The Warri Revival Programme kicked off on July 3rd with a dynamic week-long Train the Trainers Workshop. Sponsored by the UNESCO ICH FUND and facilitated by the Antigua and Barbuda Warri Academy (ABWA), the initiative produced five new Warri trainers—all students, aged 11 to 17.

Did the students enjoy the experience? Did they truly connect with the game?

You be the judge. Enough long talking—roll the video!

What’s next for the Warri Revival Programme?

The Warri Revival Programme, part of the UNESO ICH Fund-Sponsored National Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Project, will train 550 students and 50 NGO members in Warri-playing. The Revival will also birth a new generation of 18 Warri board makers, including youths from vocational programmes and the national prison. Furthermore, throughout this and the next year, ABWA will also plant 200 of the Caesalpina Crista, the “nickal”/”nicker”/seed-producing tree. Three varieties of the seeds are typical in Antigua and Barbuda: the grey, the brownish-orange, and the black.

Stay tuned for updates on how YOU could be a part of this project!

To learn even more about the WARRI REVIVAL PROGRAMME, see this previous article: Warri’s Epic Rebirth

Warri’s Epic Rebirth

Posted on July 5, 2025July 14, 2025 by admin

Remember when we promised an EPIC REVIVAL of our traditional board game Warri? Well, here comes the Revival! The WARRI REVIVAL PROGRAMME kicked off at the National Public Library with an exciting Train the Trainers session. Running from July 3-10, 2025, this is the opening move towards bringing Warri back into the hearts and hands of our communities! Catch the details in the video below!

So, to recap:

The Warri Revival Programme, part of the UNESO ICH Fund-Sponsored National Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Project, will train 550 students and 50 NGO members in Warri-playing. The Revival will also birth a new generation of 18 Warri board makers, including youths from vocational programmes and the national prison. Furthermore, throughout this and the next year, ABWA will also plant 200 of the Caesalpina Crista, the “nickal”/”nicker”/seed-producing tree. Three varieties of the seeds are typical in Antigua/Barbuda: the grey, the brownish-orange, and the black.

Stay tuned for updates on how YOU could be a part of this project!

To learn even more about the WARRI REVIVAL PROGRAMME, see this previous article.

Get Ready! Warri Revival!

Posted on June 18, 2025July 5, 2025 by admin

Exciting times are ahead! The traditional game of Warri, an important African cultural retention, is in for a revival of EPIC proportions in Antigua and Barbuda!

Our nation is renowned as the “last bastion of Warri in the Caribbean”. It is the one Caribbean country where Warri is still very much visible as a heritage game/sport. Indeed our players are renowned as international champions/grandmasters!

A typical national scene: Warri being played at the West Bus Station in St. Johns.

Photo courtesy Trevor Simon (CN)

To ensure the safeguarding of our Warri-playing and board-making traditions, the UNESCO ICH-funded National Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Project, led by Cultural Advisor, Dr. Hazra C. Medica has launched the Warri Revival Programme.

According to Dr. Medica, The Warri Revival Programme is one of the flagship pilot safeguarding exercises within the larger National ICH Project. She revealed that the revival programme will be coordinated by the Antigua and Barbuda Warri Academy (ABWA) under the watchful eyes of founding member and International Grandmaster Trevor “Simple” Simon (CN), with assistance from public, private, and civil partners.

During the first week of July 2025, the ABWA will train six students to become Warri trainers. Following this, the history and fundamentals of the game will be taught to five hundred and fifty (yes, 550!) students. These five hundred and fifty students will be selected from private and public educational institutions in Antigua AND Barbuda. Their training will occur throughout the 2025 summer and Christmas school holidays, and possibly extend into the 2026 Easter holidays.

Excitingly, fifty (50) members of selected NGOs will also benefit from similar training sessions. What is more, eighteen (18) young people will be trained in the craft of making Warri boards. One group of youths will be drawn from vocational programs and the other group from within our national prison.

Warri Boards created by Mr. Karl Henry. Photo credit: Trevor Simon (CN)

Attention will also be given to the seeds of the game. Throughout this and the next year, ABWA will embark upon a project to plant two hundred (200) of the Caesalpina Crista, the “nickal”/”Warri seed”-producing tree. Three varieties of the seeds are typical in Antigua/Barbuda: the grey, the brownish orange, and the black.

International Grandmaster Trevor Simon (CN) is urging the public to rally behind the programme. He acknowledges the current lull in the traditional sport/game noting that in the past Warri was played in all the villages throughout the nation. According to him, participating in the playing of Warri enhances social bonding, problem-solving, and mathematical skills.

The ABWA is promising that all training sessions and activities will be interactive, entertaining, and geared towards reigniting the entire nation with the Warri fever we once had. Training sessions for students will be held at the National Public Library, and the Multipurpose Cultural Centre.

It is anticipated that during, and following the Warri Revival Programme, competitive and frequent Warri championships will be staged. It is also anticipated that the Programme will increase women’s participation in the game.

To learn more about the Warri and the Antigua and Barbuda Warri Academy, click here.

To learn more about the Antigua and Barbuda National ICH Project, click here.

The Grinding Hole

Posted on May 1, 2025June 18, 2025 by admin

We continue our informational video series, highlighting the crucial intersection between our tangible and intangible cultural heritage elements.

Today, we journey along with archaeologist Reginald Murphy, CN, MBE, GOH, PhD to spotlight the Grinding Hole at the Blockhouse within the Nelson’s Dockyard National Park.

This Grinding Hole, once used for food processing, is located at the barracks where the West Indian Regiments of African soldiers were stationed in English Harbour. The hole is oval in shape, smooth, and polished from continuous use as a processor in the absence of wooden mortars. Dr. Murphy considers this Grinding Hole and others in the area solid evidence of West African tangible and intangible cultural heritage retention in Antigua. Learn more in the below video:

Guide: Reginald Murphy, CN, MBE, GOH, PhD. Archaeologist, Antigua and Barbuda’s UNESCO National Commission Secretary-General, and a relentless heritage advocate.

Videographer: Mr. Jeremiah Joseph. Data Entry Clerk, National Archives of Antigua and Barbuda.

Location: The Blockhouse.

Click to learn more about the Grinding Holes/Hollows.

Click to learn more about the West India Regiments.