By The Editor

Those of you following this blog will recognise the name ‘David Galipeau’ as being one of the presenters who participated in the Virtual Events on 3rd November.

He’s working here in Trinidad on a series of workshops around the theme of using the Web for Good. Keep an eye out on his blog for more information.

By The Editor

A couple of days ago, I met with Martin at British Council’s offices in London. Whilst sitting with him, I asked if it’d be ok to ask him a few questions ‘on the record’.

Here are the questions we discussed:

- The Commonwealth Secretary General indicated in our virtual events last week that climate change will be a major issue for leaders at CHOGM this month…. What is British Council doing on this issue?

If you can’t see the audio player below, simply download the podcast from here directly.

Reference links mentioned in the recording:

• Link to information about British Council English Language learning.
• Link to information about British Council Climate Change programme.
• Want to suggest something to Martin? Why not drop him a note?

By The Editor

During our series of virtual events last week, I managed to sit with one of the event leaders, David Galipeau, and asked him about what the web can do for CSO’s. If you can’t see the video below, click here.

 If you’d like to revisit his full presentation, go here.

By Yasmin Esack, Guest Writer

We only have to look at BBC’s World Challenge programme to appreciate the value of creativity and innovation and what these can do to change the world.

While the developed countries like the UK, Germany and USA push ahead with new technology, the underdeveloped word is sorely lacking in this area. We hear of trains that can run on magnetic fields and computers that no longer need booting and much, much more from the developed world.

The avenues for creativity and innovation are endless. Recycling quickly comes to mind. What with waste paper, glass, metal, rubber and plastics, industries should be springing up all over. This is a great way to employ masses of poor folks or to create self employment and booming trade in recycled materials. Every day we can see people scavenging dumps. What are they looking for? Waste they can sell like copper wire and bottles.

Sadly government scoffs at this and looks down at the poor man with disdain instead of seeing the potential for industry.

What are they doing to encourage creativity and innovation? Nothing. Trinidad and Tobago needs to be singled out for the reason that the ‘national music’ known to the world as steel pan came from a man who took an old oil drum and created the steel pan. Now Japan, I believe, leads the world in the manufacture of steel pans and has gone further to electrify them, so creating greater sounds.

Whole industries can be created from so many sub-sectors if governments will only listen: Agriculture, Medicine, Energy, Art and Culture, Music, Education are just some of the many areas where innovative ideas are waiting to unfold.

Do you think governments will ever pay serious attention to creativity and innovation as a means to economic development?

By Sean Samad, Guest Writer, Trinidad and Tobago

“This is an important Convention, and one which all Commonwealth countries should look to ratify”. Ransford Smith, Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Marlborough House, 11 March 2008.

What is the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and the Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions? I am sure many people in civil society, civil society organisations and governments across the Commonwealth would ask that question.

This convention, established four years ago, is key to the promotion of cultural /creative industries and the ability of sovereign states to determine cultural policies that will protect and promote their own cultures. The importance of this and its spinoffs should be taken seriously by all countries especially developing nations, since there has been a clearly established link between development and the approach to and treatment of culture.

To date, the convention has been ratified by over 100 countries but is still on the back burner and low on the priority lists of Commonwealth countries.

In comparing regions, 60% of Commonwealth countries have yet to ratify the Convention (most being developing countries) however, according to the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie it is the reverse with more than 60% of French speaking countries having ratified the Convention and well on their way to implementation. Is it that the francophone countries recognise the importance of cultural preservation and promotion of a diverse range of cultural products vis-à-vis the creative industry dominance of countries like the USA?

The key issue surrounding this convention and the progress of creativity and innovation throughout the Commonwealth is the lack of awareness that civil society has about the convention, its basis and purposes and the lack of Commonwealth Governments not only to ratify the convention formally but to take the action steps that will inevitably lead to greater development of creative industries and the growth of cultural expressions.

Why is it important to take notice of and support the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and the Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions?

(Read more…)

By the Editor

The Commonwealth Foundation is the organisation behind the bi-annual ‘People’s Forum’. Leading from the front is their Director, Dr Mark Collins. I stopped by his office recently to ask a few questions. A little about what had happened since Kampala in 2007. Also about what’s the on the agenda for Trinidad and Tobago, 2009.

If you can’t see the video below, click here to go directly to the YouTube link.

What matters to you? What are the issues you’d want to have put forward to the politicians at this year’s ‘Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting’?

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