U.W.I. conference opens in Belize City
It was an opportunity for academics and intellectuals from around the region to exchange ideas, disseminate research and provoke thought. Ann-Marie Williams reports from the U.W.I. on Princess Margaret Drive.
Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
The Third Annual Country Conference series of the University of the West Indies School of Continuing Studies opened this morning in Belize City. In her opening address, Deputy Secretary-General of CARICOM, Dr. Carla Barnett, spoke of globalisation and the challenges for Belize.
Dr. Carla Barnett, Deputy Secretary General, CARICOM
“The reality is that each of us individually as countries can’t make a big influence. We can organise ourselves well, with participation we can make sure that we’re at the table. But even when we get to the table, we’re talking about, in the case of CARICOM, fourteen countries where all of our delegations combined, do not equal the delegations of the large countries when they sit at the table.”
Some twenty papers are expected to be presented during the three-day event. The first on “Placing Belize within the wider landscape of ethnicity,” was discussed by Professor Ralph Premdas of U.W.I. at St. Augustine.
Prof. Ralph Premdas, U.W.I. St. Augustine
“You have actually gone through a condition in which a particular community, the Creole community had numerical dominance and cultural dominance, to a condition within a few decades of having this group being reduced to a significant minority. Now when you have a shift of this kind, it tends to percolate down to institutions.”
Professor Premdas says demographic shifts destroy countries, as it leads to ethnic conflicts. Resident Tutor for Belize, Dr. Joseph Palacio took a different point of view.
Dr. Joseph Palacio, Resident Tutor, U.W.I. Belize
“If there is a pattern for ethnic strife, let us look at the difference. Let us look to see how we can avoid it, then make that be the new pattern. Not because it’s happening in other countries, that does not really mean it should happen here.”
Among the papers for Thursday are Frank Arana’s perspective on “The Garinagu’s waning economic power” and Eve Aird’s doctoral extract on “The evolution of the Belizean national university.”
Arana feels that educated Garinagu are not contributing to the economic well being of their community. And says formal academic education is not a panacea for development.
Dr. Frank Arana, Writer
“If it was, I ask the question that how come Barranco and Seine Bight, who have produced such brilliants sons are daughters are two of the most depressed villages in this country. If they’re achieving such heights of academic excellence were to result in their being able to help their fellow Garinagu to move ahead, especially in the economic sphere, then I would be impressed.”
Dr. Eve Aird, Chairman, Dept. of Curriculum, U.B.
“The paper traces the development of BELCAST, it’s dissolution, the development of U.C.B. on the Ferris State University, it’s independence from Ferris State University, then of course the merger with the other institutions into the University of Belize. It looks at the socio-political factors that influenced the evolution of the university.”
Ann-Marie Williams for News 5.
Next year’s country conference series takes place in Grenada.
