By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

FOR the first time in four decades, Bahamian high school students will study their country’s past through a textbook written entirely by local scholars.

The government officially launched the book during a ceremony at the Southern Recreation Grounds yesterday, touting it as a landmark step in presenting history from a Bahamian perspective rather than a colonial one.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, whose son Christopher Davis is among the 12 Bahamian authors of the book, called the moment one of “liberation” and “decolonising”.

“This is more than a book. It is the voice of The Bahamas — past, present, and future — speaking for itself,” he said.

Officials said the book replaces history curricula that had gone largely unchanged since the 1980s, with past materials often prioritising European explorers and colonial narratives over African civilisations, local heroes, and the country’s post-independence development.

During his keynote remarks, Mr Davis said: “Whole generations had come and gone, taught more about European explorers than Bahamian trailblazers, more about colonial administrators than our own heroes, more about foreign exploits than Bahamian triumphs.”

He credited Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin for spearheading the effort, referencing her call for a more reflective national curriculum.

“How,” he said, “can we expect to raise a generation proud of themselves, if they are only taught the history of others?”

The textbook’s structure is divided into seven thematic units that cover topics ranging from ancient Africa to the global climate crisis. The book incorporates primary and secondary sources, graphics, maps, critical thinking questions, glossaries, and exam-aligned assessments developed by classroom teachers.

Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard welcomed the initiative, calling it an important step in shaping national identity and celebrating the country’s roots.

“There’s nothing more powerful than studying your own history,” he said.

He praised the project as a “powerful addition to the work of national development”, crediting both the Ministry of Education and the authors for promoting cultural pride.

Among the contributors is Christopher Davis, the youngest of the authors, who also holds the title of Chief John Canoe II. He wrote the chapter covering the 15th century through to the arrival of the Loyalists in the 1780s, highlighting resistance by Bahamian women and communities.

“It speaks about contextualising colonisation and a new view on piracy, particularly black pirates, women pirates, and of course the identification of our great King John Canoe,” he said.

“This is something now that any Bahamian from all walks of life, but more importantly the students, could look at and be proud of and that certainly places The Bahamas within the context of the global African struggle.”