St. Kitts-Nevis producer and researcher, Klieon John, proposed a framework of radical technological, spatial, and media improvements to handle local weather and financial challenges, for the Caribbean on the Youth for Innovation and Resilience Discussion board of the 54th Annual Assembly of the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Improvement Financial institution in Ottawa, Canada on June 19, 2024.
The extremely anticipated occasion convened leaders, innovators, and younger visionaries from throughout the Caribbean to deal with urgent regional challenges with forward-thinking options. In his keynote, “Innovating Resilience: A Radical Reimagining of Caribbean Futures,” John emphasised the necessity for transformative approaches in expertise, spatial planning, new media, and Caribbean id to successfully reply to the area’s rising points, notably these associated to local weather change and financial instability.
Re-Defining Resilience
Reflecting on insights shared at adjoining boards akin to”Haiti Now: Improvement Priorities and Interventions,” John underscored the broader context of resilience within the Caribbean, in response to the assertion that ‘resilience defines Caribbean individuals.’
“Resilience is woven into our historical past and tradition. It’s a strong defining trait of the Caribbean spirit,” John remarked. Nevertheless, he additionally raised important questions on whether or not this reactive perspective on resilience may restrict the area’s potential for innovation.
“Being outlined by resilience usually connotes reacting to hardship, being formed by occasions past our management,” John mentioned. “This passivity, whereas showcasing our power, suggests we’re at all times in response mode—outlined by an ‘afterward’ relatively than a ‘ahead’. We have to think about whether or not this strategy limits our entry to potential alternatives and improvements.”
John challenged the area to redefine resilience from a proactive stance, embracing curiosity, inspiration and initiative to create new alternatives for wealth and prosperity relatively than restoration from disaster. “As a area lengthy outlined by its resilience, we now have the expertise and the fitting to redefine resilience for ourselves,” he concluded.
Radical Evolutions in Expertise and Spatial Planning
John’s handle highlighted the important function of expertise and revolutionary spatial planning in crafting a resilient future for the Caribbean. He referenced his analysis and design undertaking below the celebrated 2024 Tilting Axis Research Fellowship, ‘Nieuwe Bohío: A Digital Retrospective on Indigenous Caribbean historical past, tradition, and mythology, the place he proposes a visionary strategy to optimize transportation methods each inside and between islands, addressing inefficiencies that hinder financial and social cohesion. “An optimized transit system isn’t just a comfort; it’s a basic instrument for productiveness, social cohesion, and resilience by way of wealth creation,” John asserted.
Drawing from his analysis, John emphasised that efficient spatial group goes past the mere positioning of bodily supplies or individuals. It includes managing the dynamic motion of populations inside an evolving cultural and financial panorama. “As industrialization and globalization reshape our society, we should rethink how we assist the motion of individuals to foster resilience and innovation,” he defined.
Re-imagining Tourism as a Device for Development
In a thought-provoking phase, John challenged the viewers to reimagine the Caribbean’s relationship with tourism. He proposed a overview of current tourism-oriented infrastructure to boost native mobility, productiveness and socio-economic empowerment.
“Inter-regional transit is expensive and inconvenient, with air journey routes that don’t sufficiently mirror the the Aristocracy wants of an evolving inhabitants and enterprise panorama,” asserted John. “Domestically, in lots of Caribbean Small Island Growing States (SIDS) the mix of single carriage roads, an absence of nationwide transport companies and elevated importation of personal automobiles results in congestion and restricted mobility, lowering productiveness, entry, and inclusivity,” he added.
John proposed that by adjusting coverage, tradition, and apply with present cruise liners, we are able to optimize these routes for higher regional transit. Additional, he asserted that some islands could also be lacking alternatives to make the most of current infrastructure to boost floor transportation.
“In St. Kitts for example, a practical practice line that nearly circumnavigates the whole island is maintained solely as a post-plantocracy relic for excursions and sightseeing, providing no assist to native mobility and productiveness. There could also be methods to revise and repurpose this mannequin to boost native productiveness and ease of motion,” he provided.
Re-imagining Caribbean Indigeneity
A central theme of John’s presentation was the re-imagining of Caribbean indigeneity. He referred to as for a shift from the standard, static views rooted in historic and colonial frameworks to a up to date understanding that embraces the fluid and evolving nature of indigenous identities. “Indigenous id isn’t just about survival; it holds the potential for innovation and pioneering,” John acknowledged.
He cited examples such because the Rastafari motion, “which emerged within the Caribbean not in response to some catastrophic actus dei, however as an inspiration-driven, radical, new initiative characterised by self-definition relatively than survival. Rastafari redefined what it means to be Caribbean, showcasing our area’s capability for ideological innovation that may affect the world” he famous.
By recognizing the dynamic and self-determined nature of up to date indigeneity, John argued that the Caribbean can foster cultural revitalization, sovereignty, and empowerment. “We have to redefine our understanding of indigeneity to unlock new views and options for our area’s challenges,” he urged.
“So adopting a up to date understanding of indigeneity, promotes inclusive social justice and helps complete sustainable growth, rooted in self-determination, adaptability, intersectionality, and innovation.This finally enhances our efforts to outline and design a resilient future”, he added.
A Name to Motion
John concluded his message with a compelling name to motion, urging the Caribbean to undertake a proactive and visionary strategy to resilience. “By embracing radical innovation in expertise, spatial planning, new media, and our understanding of id, we are able to lead our area to a way forward for unprecedented potential,” he declared.
