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Objective 1: Caribbean: Tale of a Single Story (Dated 12th October, 2017)

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Objective 1: Caribbean: Tale of a Single Story (Dated 12th October, 2017)

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The TED talk presentation by Chimanda Ngozi Adichie entitled The Danger of a Single Story (2009), discussed an important issue: the predominance of a single story told by the powerful groups in society. Although this piece is narrated from Nigeria, certain similarities can be identified relative to the Caribbean region. From an external perspective, the Caribbean is simply a group of islands sharing a geographical space and history. However, these islands are much more complex and are described as a multifaceted Caribbean owing to multiple cultural groups encompassing one civilization. This civilization resulted from the historical influences of the interaction and merging of varying racial groups bearing different cultures and traditions. The accompanying artefact, “Confronting Columbus: Revisionism versus Reality,” (Jenkins 2013) discusses the “whitewashing” of Caribbean history and emphasizes the single story widely disseminated by the Europeans in the region. Overtime, these groups evolved to create their own way of life. The Caribbean is often referred to as a ‘melting pot’ signifying a rich mixture of various ethnicities resulting in demographic diversity. Based on a comparison between the culture, music and food that transcend the various islands in the region, more specifically, across the subcultures in one island, a clear indication is observed that the region is far beyond merely a single story. Evidence of having a predominant single story is also seen in the biblical versions relating the Curse of Ham according to interpretations in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (Lee 2003). This story was used to justify the act of slavery as rewritten by the powerful groups in society. In summation, the Caribbean may be told as a single story by the dominant groups in society, however, it is quite evident that the region far exceeds this one tale evident in the great spectrum of diversity within the civilization.

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Confronting Columbus: Revisionism Versus Reality I The Hampton Institute

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On this day, reality begins with recognizing the real consequences of Christopher Columbus'

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Objective 2: Sports: More than a Game (Dated 23rd November, 2017)

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Objective 2: Sports: More than a Game (Dated 23rd November, 2017)

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Sports Management B.Sc., is my degree choice to pursue at the University of the West Indies (UWI). Despite its diverse prospects, it was not considered a reputable job potential by many persons. Therefore, I have chosen to explore the theme of sports in the Caribbean, the impacts on my social environment and its evolution to become a formally recognised discipline. Sports in the Caribbean, particularly cricket transcends far beyond the boundary of a game but an identity. It was a way of combatting the effects of colonialism and racial stigma. A cricket documentary, “Fire in Babylon,” emphasized the hardship of the West Indian sportsmen in the global arena. In relation to my social environment, the older generations still emphasize the absolute necessity of attaining an education since it meant opportunities for social advancement however, restricting this view to certain fields of study: medicine, engineering or law, excluding these, the career was disregarded. Fortunately, numerous implementations in the Caribbean countries justifies how sports is now viewed as an academic discipline as oppose to an event which fans attend to support their team or jobs for individuals with special athletic abilities. This is evident in the investment in sports tourism by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, establishing a cricketing academy for upcoming cricketers from across the region and most importantly, the introduction of a Faculty of Sport at UWI consisting of a diverse curriculum available to applicants. This accomplishment establishes the opportunities for Caribbean development as discussed by Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and other notable speakers in the Daily Express newspaper article (2017), “UWI launches Faculty of Sport.” This degree has great potential in exposing individuals to the global platform through collaborations with foreign teams and international organisations which further warrants this field as a worthy and reliable prospect.

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"If there's one industry that we can develop right now to diversify our economies and make our economies competitive, it is to build a sporting industry in our region."

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles made the statement at the official launch of The University's Faculty of Sport on Wednesday at The UWI Regional Headquarters in Jamaica.

Vice-Chancellor Beckles referenced a report which assessed the global sport industry to be valued at an estimated US$145 billion and growing at a rate of 4.5 per cent per year.

"We in the Caribbean are not getting our just share...the world looks upon us to produce excellence but we are not getting our share of the revenue," he said. "This is something that we must now take very seriously. This sporting industry is the place of the greatest convergence in the global economy. It's the place where all the industries are interconnected...We're hoping that our faculty will do all the relevant research, teaching and learning to participate in that conversation with our investors, our entrepreneurs, our public sector, our global manufacturers to enable that focus to take place here in the Caribbean space that is so rich in sporting talent."

The launch marked an historic occasion for the University as the Faculty of Sport is the first to be established at the UWI in 40 years.

The University Council approved its recommendation in April this year and it becomes operational in the 2017-2018 academic year. The new faculty consolidates under a "One UWI" umbrella of knowledge, sport programmes offered across all four campuses.

In his remarks, newly appointed Dean, Dr Akshai Mansingh, who will lead the Faculty of Sport, said: "For too long sport has been a past-time for the region. We really don't have the superstar culture, even though our first superstar walked onto the field in 1930 when George Headley made his Test debut." He added: "The creation of the Faculty of Sport gives an opportunity to bring together all of the creative and scientific minds of the region, while harnessing leaders in all aspects of sports from throughout the world to offer the support to the athletes, many of whom have chosen to make this region their home to perfect their skills. But the Faculty of Sport doesn't only cater to those who play sports, but also to those who play at sports. Creative academic minds with interest in anything to do with sports will have the opportunity to pursue their research, and practitioners such as coaches, sports and conditioning experts, sports physiotherapists etc., will also find a forum in this faculty as well."

Although the launch was hosted in Jamaica, each campus participated via video conferencing, delivering remarks virtually from their remote locations.

Deputy Principal of the St Augustine Campus, Professor Rhoda Reddock also delivered remarks virtually, on behalf of Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Brian Copeland. "This campus is very excited about this addition to our already robust programme offerings. We can only anticipate the development that this will mean not only for our campus and The UWI, but for our wider region as a whole," she stated. Reddock added: "At St Augustine, we are already proud of some of the achievements of our student athletes like Jehue Gordon, our world champion (athletics) who graduated with first class honours from the sports management programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences. More recently, Paralympian, Nyoshia Cain got another bronze medal at the World Paralympics Athletics Championships in London. We know that this development will allow us to better serve our student athletes to achieve the academic and sporting success that they deserve and desire."

Scores of members of the public and private sectors attended the celebrated event in Jamaica; as well as participated via live-stream viewing, with several endorsements also coming from heads of government, the regional business community, athletes and other well-wishers across the region including Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness and new UWI Chancellor, Robert Bermudez.

In a written statement, Prime Minister Holness noted that, "sports certainly unites us as a people. This is another signal move in the integration process especially by having the Faculty of Sport at campuses across the region. In years to come I believe sports will be an even greater contributor, not only to our unity and pride as a people, but an even greater source of foreign direct investment, employment generation and greater development."

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"If there's one industry that we can develop right now to diversify our economies and make our economies competitive, it is to build a sporting industry in our region." The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles made the statement at the official launch of The University's Faculty of Sport on Wednesday at The UWI Regional Headquarters in Jamaica.

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Objective 3: Free Movement in CARICOM (Dated 23rd November, 2017)

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Objective 3: Free Movement in CARICOM (Dated 23rd November, 2017)

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Numerous efforts towards regional integration in the Caribbean region entails the cooperation of the islands for a common purpose of unity and support. The CARICOM Single Market and Economy acts as a pillar of integration for the 20 Member states based on economic factors. (CARICOM 2016) One new policy introduced is the free movement of people and capital within CARICOM and is eligible for certain individuals. This allows persons from any of the Member states to travel to another for employment without the need for a work permit as well as the transfer of money with limited restriction. However, there are certain limitations based on decisions authorised by the national law of a particular country. Though this is deemed beneficial to countries having high unemployment rates as it acts as financial assistance, there are possible challenges that may arise. For example, some persons living in the Community may regard this as an issue where foreigners are working in the available jobs in one’s home country for a lower salary and denying their own nationals of employment opportunities resulting in conflicts. Although mechanisms towards creating one regional unit are considered a priority for many leaders in the region, it is inevitable that it will be accompanied by its own share of disagreements. The main objective of CARICOM is geared towards regional integration, however, based on the conflicting issues presented previously, this task is proving more difficult than imagined. The artefact below is a picture which not only represents the Caribbean islands coexisting in one geographical space but of having a connection and an interrelation like the pieces of a puzzle joined together. All the aforementioned details concerning the free movement initiative are evident in the CARICOM online website which expounds on the measures and agreements of the various representative bodies.

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Objective 4: Personal Reflection (Dated 25th November, 2017)

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Objective 4: Personal Reflection (Dated 25th November, 2017)

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FOUN 1101, Caribbean Civilization, an academic course which I only aimed to pass after having done Caribbean Studies at the CAPE level examinations. However, after learning from the first few lecture and tutorial sessions, my aim was still unchanged but my interest in this course had grown. It was evident that many of the ideas taught at the secondary school level were quite different as it neglected the gruesome details of our history and not as in depth as those taught at university. The video artifact attached is a slave narrative of Mary Prince: A West Indian slave (2010) which details her harsh experiences which further emphasizes the great struggle our ancestors endured during slavery. Yet, they persevered to create a multifaceted region. A region unique in its culture, religion, independence, vibrant art forms, festivals and countless others. Acknowledging their experiences and our renewed culture allows me to further embrace my sense of a Caribbean identity. Completing this course improved my research skills and my ability to critically analyse a literary piece as it relates to the Caribbean society. However, in all honesty, I disliked the book, Through It All (2017) since it did not portray a Caribbean mind-set and lacked many aspects of the Caribbean culture. The topic I enjoyed in this curriculum was sports since the tutorial session was mainly watching a documentary but it also changed my perspective on how I view cricket as it highlighted its use as an identity and not just a game. Personally, studying this course has turned out to be thought provoking on the tribulations encountered by the African ancestors and the major impact of the Europeans on regional diversity, but also brings to question, why are we always divided as a region?