More than 40 million people could get a look at Bermuda's heritage at a live cultural exhibition in the US capital next summer.

Bermuda will be one of three participants in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival -- a research-based live cultural exhibition held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Twenty local researchers are working under the guidance of a Smithsonian Institute curator to research, collect archival materials and interview Bermudians on subjects like music, boat building, cricket, architecture and traditional celebrations.

Development and Opportunity Minister Terry Lister said: "The exposure Bermuda will receive from participation in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival will be extensive, both through the international media coverage of the event and Bermuda's presence in Washington.

"But perhaps even more important, is the long-term benefit of the Smithsonian programme -- the preservation and conservation of Bermuda's traditions.'' The space allocated to the Bermuda "expo'' is the size of two football fields, and is where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have A Dream '' speech in 1963.

The Bank of Bermuda Centennial Trust is sponsoring the educational programme developed as a component of the expo.

The research will culminate in the development of Bermuda Educational Resource Kits that will use audio and video elements as well as classroom curriculum guide.

Bank CEO and President Henry Smith said: "It is the long term educational benefits that has attracted the Bank of Bermuda Centennial Trust's support.

"We are pleased Bermuda's cultural heritage is being given the spotlight.

Preserving our cultural traditions provides a lesson in ingenuity that we are pleased to see will be documented and shared with school students and the community generally.'' Dr. Richard Kurin, director of the Smithsonian's Centre for Folklife and Cultural Heritage said the Bank of Bermuda sponsorship would keep Bermuda's history "alive''.

"We want the children to have the knowledge and traditions of their ancestors.'' But he said Bermuda's real strength is in the mixture of global interaction and emphasis on tradition.

"You're a player in the global market and yet it is incredibly local here.'' The festival will run from June 27 to July 8, 2001. It's expected to host one million visitors and reach 40 million others through print and electronic media.

There will be a restaging of the event for all local residents and all Bermudian research will be added to the Smithsonian archives.

Cultivating culture: Pictured front row (from left): Bank President and CEO Henry Smith, Development and Opportunity Minister Terry Lister and Smithsonian Director of Folklife and Cultural Heritage Centre, Dr. Richard Kurin. Back row (from left): Bank Trust Officer David Lang, Walter Lister MP, Vice-President Corporate Banking Clem Talbot, Hotel Association John Harvey, General Manager Retail Clients Danny Fox and Executive Vice-President Retail Clients Allen Richardson.