BAHAMAS ACCORDION

The next generation

Founded in 2013 on Cat Island, the Cat Island Accordion & French Camp began as a response to a plea to save the dying Goombay/Rake ’n Scrape accordion tradition. CIAF camp building resilience, self-discipline, and pride in our youth. Today the movement links Cat Island, Nassau, and—beginning 2026—Exuma, proving that an instrument can bridge generations, communities, and social barriers.
CIAF CAMP DATES
2013 — 2019 Cat Island.
2016 — The Fanfurly Home with performance at Atlantis.
2024 — "An Accordion Revival", Zion Baptist Church, East & Shirley Street, Nassau.
2025 — "Accordion Extravaganza" at the Edmund Moxey Community Center, Nassau.
2025 — First “The Last Dance” at Sapodilla Estate, an evening of elegance and Scottish & Quadille dances.
2026 — Exuma camp planned

LEGACY

Our Mission: Passing It On

Cat Island youth accordionists — revival of Goombay/Rake ’n Scrape © CIAF Camp 2013–2026

Our mission is to preserve not only the accordion, but the values it teaches — patience, discipline, and joy in working together.
Each child who learns to play discovers that persistence creates harmony, and that music can unite across every social and cultural line.From Cat Island to Nassau and, beginning 2026, Exuma, our program continues to grow — linking islands, generations, and communities through a shared rhythm of pride and belonging.What began as one camp in 2013 has become a movement of young Bahamians keeping Goombay and Rake ’n Scrape alive with their own hands and hearts.

Our mission is to preserve not only the accordion, but the values it teaches — patience, discipline, and joy in working together.
Each child who learns to play discovers that persistence creates harmony, and that music can unite across every social and cultural line.From Cat Island to Nassau and, beginning 2026, Exuma, our program continues to grow — linking islands, generations, and communities through a shared rhythm of pride and belonging.What began as one camp in 2013 has become a movement of young Bahamians keeping Goombay and Rake ’n Scrape alive with their own hands and hearts.

Our mission is to preserve not only the accordion, but the values it teaches — patience, discipline, and joy in working together.
Each child who learns to play discovers that persistence creates harmony, and that music can unite across every social and cultural line.From Cat Island to Nassau and, beginning 2026, Exuma, our program continues to grow — linking islands, generations, and communities through a shared rhythm of pride and belonging.What began as one camp in 2013 has become a movement of young Bahamians keeping Goombay and Rake ’n Scrape alive with their own hands and hearts.

The heart of the accordion revival beats in the hands of our young players.
Each note they play echoes the spirit of Goombay - Rake ’n Scrape — a living link between generations.
Through patience and perseverance, they are proving that tradition is not a thing of the past, but a path to the future.This year, a National Youth Accordion Ensemble was officially launched. Weekly group practice sessions have been introduced to help the ensemble strengthen its sound, teamwork, and performance skills, ensuring steady progress throughout the year.Labron Minnis, a graduate of the School for the Blind, is well on his way to becoming a professional accordionist, radio sound engineer, and DJ.
A sponsorship is currently being explored to enable him to pursue two weeks of intensive accordion training in France, furthering his journey as a Bahamian ambassador of music and resilience.

🇫🇷 ROBERT SANTIAGO (France)

Founding Instructor — 2013–2015
Professional Performance at Atlantis with youths 2015. Robert Santiago is renowned for his ability to play South American rhythms. The camp owes him its very existence. Teaching exclusively in French, the youths learned to play many songs at each camp.
Class Session – Arthur’s Town, Cat Island 2013.

🇲🇶 CLAUDE & JOSÉLITA GERMANY

(Martinique, France) Instructors — CIAF Camp 2016
🎵 “You have to love Chouval Bwa to bring it to life.”Claude Germany is a legendary accordionist from the French island of Martinique, devoted to preserving indigenous traditions. Together, they revived the Chouval Bwa — the traditional man-powered wooden carousel, now recognized as a monument of Martinican heritage.
Thirty years ago it was on the brink of extinction; today, it thrives thanks to their devotion.
“You have to love Chouval Bwa to bring it to life.” — Josélita Germany

🇫🇷 ARMAND BRENON (France)

Instructor — CIAF Camp 2018
🎵 Atelier Folk Band – Lyon, France🎥 Workshop with Frank Williams & Youths – Cat Island 2018Armand Brenon is a French diatonic accordionist and educator deeply involved in the revival of traditional European folk music.
He teaches within Lyon’s Fol’Klassique Association’s Atelier Folk Band, where musicians gather to explore historic and contemporary folk repertoires.At the 2018 CIAF Camp, Armand brought this same collaborative energy to Bahamian youth, focusing on ensemble work, improvisation, and peer learning alongside local mentor Frank Williams — just before the COVID lockdown.“The goal is to make music a shared experience — where rhythm, melody, and joy are built together.” — Armand Brenon

🇫🇷 CAROLINE CARTON (FRANCE)

Instructor — CIAF Camp 2017, Cat Island.
Grand Bal de l’Europe – Gennetines
🌐 Caroline Carton – FacebookCaroline Carton is a French accordionist and dance instructor known for her performances at folk and traditional music gatherings (bals) throughout France.
She keeps trad’ folk music alive through joyful live performances that blend dance, rhythm, and emotion.Her deep connection with her accordion — “an inseparable partner” — infuses every note with feeling.

GRAEME & MAGDALENA MACKAY (SCOTLAND)

Instructors — Nassau 2024, Cat Island 2025
🎵 Professional Performance🎥 Class Session – Nassau 2024With deep roots in the Scottish accordion tradition, Graeme and Magdalena Mackay brought a renewed sense of musical excellence and international friendship to the camp.
Their workshops connected Bahamian Rake ’n Scrape rhythms with the precision of Celtic reels — showing how two island cultures, an ocean apart, share one heartbeat through music.Together, they continue to inspire a generation of young Bahamians to see the accordion not just as an instrument, but as a bridge between worlds.

FRANK WILLIAMS (BAHAMAS)

Mentor & Co-Founder — CIAF Camp 2018
🎥 Teaching Session – Cat Island Youths 2018Frank Williams’ dream was the spark that ignited the Cat Island Accordion & French Camp.
A quiet visionary and lifelong musician, he believed every Bahamian child should touch an accordion and hear its voice echo through the islands once again.In 2018, he worked side by side with the youths using peer learning videos and took the group in hand to teach them to play some poplular Goombay - Rake'n Scrape songs. We lost a major pole bearer when he passed away and a fabntastic teacher, we learned too late.“The dream was simple: save the accordion, and with it, a part of ourselves.” Frank Williams