Gumelemi Issue 3

gumelemi

Issue 3 Summer 2015

Gumelemi Issue No.3 Š September 2015 Gumelemi Magazine All rights reserved.

No part of this magazine or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted without written consent.

Editor: Gabrielle Misiewicz Cover Photo: Ashley Bethel Cover Design: Sasha Dean gum elemi tree: Elora Williams

gumelemimagazine.tumblr.com

gumelemi | gum•el•em•ee [noun] a magazine created by young bahamians for young bahamians. after the local tree with the same name. the gum elemi tree has a wide range of medicinal uses, particularly to resist disease, restore strength after illness, increase energy and improve circulation. gumelemi exists to energise our generation, to challenge us to think critically about our society, to circulate our thoughts with a view to taking them to the next level. as with bush medicine, where we use what is in our backyards to heal ourselves, the makers of gumelemi believe that we have in our country minds which possess the answers to our own problems, the ability to find the answers to our problems. gumelemi is here to inspire confidence in ourselves; to assist us in lifting our heads.

Dear Readers, The days, the weeks and the months continue to try us, to make us gnash our teeth in frustration and throw up our hands in disgust. How do we continue to have hope for a country that slides ever deeper into a pit of corruption, injustice and criminality? One that seems bogged down in antiquated methods and mindsets? I know these are questions all of us ponder, and I’m not going to try and answer them here. We could have a forum on the challenge of hopefulness alone.

In spite of the gut-wrenching and mind-boggling incidents that have happened since last summer, many of us are still out there, fighting and taking risks and making sacrifices. We see this in the persistent efforts of people like Nikita Shiel-Rolle, founder of the Young Marine Explorers, an organisation she started to prepare Bahamian youth to be stewards of our environment.YME is almost ten years old now, and every year it becomes a stronger, further-reaching organisation, with graduates of the programme coming back to participate as interns and mentors. No doubt many of you have heard of Shift the Culture, a group that was started just last year and continues to gain traction among our peers, particularly those with entrepreneurial spirits. This summer was their inaugural Starter Island competition, a week-long event pitting teams of entrepreneurs against one another as they sailed around Exuma. It’s Our Turn, or IOT, is a service-oriented group that was started by Beijing Rodgers several years ago when she was a teenager, and one that she continues to develop. There, with just a few examples, is evidence of the creativity, intelligence, resourcefulness and perseverance of our peers, qualities we need to combat our social issues and which we have in spades!

This issue of Gumelemi features work by still more passionate Bahamians.Yet again, we have fresh new content, which I find very exciting and hope that you do too. We’re familiar with written and photographic essays: this year a piece by Mikhail Bullard on the brain drain, myself on the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival and a collection of photographs by Ashley Bethel. Photographs by Elora Williams and Craig Walkine Jr. are also included here. And now we have an interview and poetry to contemplate as well. I spoke with Noelle Sawyer, a PhD student of math, about her thoughts on math education. Our conversation was fun, surprising and informative.Yasmin Glinton, a teacher working in Abaco, wrote a poem imagining the future of our nation, in a time when some of us can no longer abide the status quo. It’s vivid, emotional and somewhat dystopian, but there is hope in her words too.

I hope you enjoy and are challenged by Gumelemi 2015, and are inspired to craft pieces for the next issue when I come a-calling!

Warmly,

Gabrielle Misiewicz Founder, Editor September 2015

Contents Rooster, Ashley Bethel..............................................................................................................................................1 “Ine Need No Calculator,” Interview with Noelle Sawyer...............................................................................2 Gloriosa, Elora Williams.........................................................................................................................................11 After the Rain, Craig Walkine Jr...........................................................................................................................13 On Tourism and the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, Gabrielle Misiewicz.....................................................15 Victoria Regina Et Imperatrix, Craig Walkine Jr...............................................................................................23 When the Bough Breaks, Yasmin Y. Glinton.......................................................................................................25 Duty - 1 and 11, Craig Walkine Jr......................................................................................................................26 “All Ah We is One”: Towards a Diaspora Engagement Policy For The Bahamian Diaspora in the United States, Mikhail Bullard..............................................................................................................................29 Old Water Pump, Ashley Bethel...........................................................................................................................39 Water Series, Ashley Bethel...................................................................................................................................41

“Ine Need No Calculator” Interview with Noelle Sawyer

First day of math class Looka all these numbers bey.

This ga be easy.

Um, excuse me, sir.

What is this unit circle?

I supposed to know?

Yall learn this in school?

No, sir I did not learn that.

I know times tables.

My mental math, sir.

Ine need no calculator; Ask me anything!

And I was right, man.

I could multiply so good!

This man was impressed.

But new math to learn.

What is this unit circle?

Let me learn some more.

This interview was inspired by a joke between friends. It makes no sense trying to explain it here, but suffice it to say that Noelle Sawyer, a PhD student of math, told me she would send math poetry my way for Gumelemi. I wasn’t sure she was going to follow through, so I was surprised not only that she did, but also that I loved the poem so much that I wanted to use it! The haiku reveals some things about Noelle - she’s funny, warm and curious - but I thought it would be great to formally interview her to find out how she fell in love with math in the first place, and what she thinks about the state of math education in our country. Noelle went to St. John’s College for primary and high school, Vassar College, New York for undergraduate studies in math and history, and just finished her first year as a PhD student at Wesleyan University, Connecticut.The following is adapted from our conversation.

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Gumelemi: How did you end up as a math grad

problems to do math with and that was the

student? Did you know any other Bahamian

first time I realised, “Oh hey, I can do cool

math professionals?

stuff with math,” and, “I guess they must need math at the Space Station,” “I guess they need

Noelle: I don’t really know any other

math for all these other things.” I felt really

Bahamian math professionals. I mean, I heard

interested in my math class, whereas before I

of someone else getting their PhD in math

had just been kinda good at math. That was

once I was done applying but I don’t really

the first time that I thought that that would

know him, I just know that a person exists.

be my major, one of my majors.

Me getting into math? I just had a string of pretty great math teachers at some point in

My other question is about you being a woman

time, or just very interesting math teachers,

in math.What was it like wanting to pursue math

and I said “Hey I could do this, I kinda like

in high school and college, and what’s it like now?

math,” and I said “I’m gonna do this,” and it happened. I’m still not really sure how I got

I didn’t feel it being a woman at home as

here, but I’m happy. I’m excited.

much as I do here [at Wesleyan], because at home there was actually more a general

In addition to it the rarity of a Bahamian studying

sense of, “What are you going to do with

math, being a woman in math is really unusual.

your math degree?” But once I got to the

So I have two questions. One of them is about

States everyone kept telling me how hard it

the string of really good math teachers, and the

was going to be as a woman in science and

other is about being a woman. First, the string of

math. There aren’t as many women [in the

really good math teachers: Do you feel like you

field] and right now there aren’t very many

had a very good math foundation? Is that what

female professors in my department and I

helped you to really enjoy math?

really feel that. Sometimes I just want to see a woman. If I can’t have a Bahamian around to

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I feel like I had some teachers that sparked

talk to a woman would be really nice to talk

my interest more than anything. The one who

to. I had one female professor, I know one is

really did the trick was a physicist who was

on sabbatical and I think there are 1 or 2

teaching math at St. John’s and I think I was in

more? But then there are you know 15, 16

grade 11. He would give us all these physics

men. So I feel at a loss.

You talked about studying math in high school

I’m still catching up I feel like! Well, it felt like

and how that one teacher in grade 11 was

I caught up at the beginning, but since I was

influential, or his teaching methods were really

taking a class that a lot of math majors had

influential for you in making the decision to

already done in high school, they were taking

major in math.What was it like when you went

higher level classes when I was still taking a

off to Vassar?

basic class or two. That spilled over to grad school a little bit, so some people have taken

Oh, well first of all I realised that I didn’t

some of the first year courses, and all of

really know anything about what I was going

them are new to me, so I always feel like I’m

to end up studying in math. I find that we

catching up a little bit. I don’t think I’m behind

[Bahamians] learn a lot of math concepts

anymore, I just feel like I have to do a little bit

from a lot of different areas, but I didn’t

more work.

necessarily know what I was going into with calculus and with linear algebra and all of

I know you double majored in math and history.

these areas of math. [Professors] would show

Did you struggle with liking one over the other?

up and ask, “What is the big idea behind

Did you feel like history was going to replace

calculus?” And I just didn’t know. I had a lot

math at any point?

to learn. Americans to me all had very similar backgrounds. For example they had done the

This is really rough because I really love them

same algebra, the same trigonometry, the

both, I really deeply could have gone to grad

same pre-calculus classes, and some of them

school for history. That was hard for me [in]

already had taken the [college] class I was in

my senior year because I didn’t know what to

when they were in high school, and so the

do. What it came down to was that above

first 4 weeks were me literally reading my

both of them I like to teach math, more than

textbook at night trying to figure out why

I like math or history. I do like math, I really

everybody knew what I didn’t. Once I caught

like it, but I like to teach math more than I

up I felt really good about it.

actually like math itself. That kind of put it on the top for me. Logistically it was also easier

How long do you think were you catching up?

to get funding to do a math degree than to do a history degree. I thought about splitting my applications and seeing what happened, 4

but what if I applied to half history and half

it’s different. It would be nice to figure out

math and got nowhere? So I thought I had to

what exactly we are geared toward. Are we

make the decision instead of letting it be

doing math for COB specifically? Is it math

made for me, and I just ended up applying to

geared toward UWI? How are we doing that?

a lot of math programmes.

And we can always give what we teach more You said that you felt you were behind the

context. Once in a linear algebra class my

American students, and that you didn't really

professor said, “Oh, here’s this group of

know what you were getting yourself into when

numbers, this is a matrix and here are all the

you went to Vassar. At the same time though you

rules for multiplying.” I knew that because I

felt comfortable and confident with math in high

learned it in school, and other people didn’t

school. Can you talk about that gap between how

know it. But I didn’t know [at the time] that

well you thought you were prepared and how

what I was learning was linear algebra, I just

prepared you were actually, and whether that’s

thought, “I guess sometimes people put

more of a systematic approach to teaching

numbers in these boxes and they put weird

education in The Bahamas vs the US, or whether

rules on them to multiply,” and “I guess I’ll

it’s that Bahamians are underprepared compared

learn this because I want an A on my

to Americans?

BGCSE.” It would’ve been nice if I’d gotten more of what those concepts do, why they

I feel like Bahamians definitely prioritise

are important, whether they do anything

different things, so there were certain things

interesting, what kind of fun math things they

that I was better at when I went to college.

can lead to.

For instance mental math I was on top of, I would say I was one of the better people,

Can you talk about the use of this day to day

because we couldn’t have calculators until

math a little more?

really late in school. I feel like we prioritise a lot of very basic knowledge at home that is

Well for instance I’m far better at telling if my

more important for your day to day living.

change is wrong at the grocery store than

Maybe we’re underprepared for an American

anyone else.

math programme, but I don’t think that that means what we’re doing is wrong, I just think 5

So when you’re out with your math coworkers or

Analysis studies continuous change and ways

friends you’re better at that kind of thing?

to talk about how 'fast' things change.You can think of it as a huge extension of the idea

Yea because they didn’t have to do it. They

that speed is how fast distance changes and

never had to do it. Even when it comes down

acceleration is how fast speed changes. We

to saying, “Oh hey I have $17.25 but it was

get to do lots of fancy things with this idea

supposed to be 17 cents” - I already know

and currently I can use it to measure weird

how much I’m supposed to give back. It

sets and shapes.

seems to me that some people are really struggling with this, not that some Bahamians aren’t struggling with this, but…

With topology, you spend a lot of time defining ways to say that sets and objects are 'the same'. If you can stretch, shrink, or bend

It’s just funny because we think math people

one object into another, then you can work

should be able to do all of this like fire!

on one to find out lots of things about the other. So a coffee mug and a doughnut are

Oh no definitely not. I feel like math people get their multiplication wrong the most

the same to me because you can smash one into the shape of the other.

because they just don’t have to [focus on getting it right]. They’re like, “Oh we don’t care about your basic math anymore we want you to learn higher math.” Whereas I think it’s really important to add and multiply and I tell people that.

Algebra is the study of sets with an operation we place on them, so numbers and addition is a basic example.You can start making things more complicated though, like studying multiples of 14, or defining some sort of addition on the alphabet, like a+e=z. As long

Can you talk a bit more about the higher math?

as the operation follows a basic set of rules, we're fine.

Ok so it’s my first year of grad school and there are 3 basic areas of math that we’re learning right now. These aren’t the only areas, but we’re learning analysis, topology

When you were in undergrad did you have a better sense of what you would be getting into in grad school?

and algebra.

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Yea I had more of a sense.

I just get excited sometimes thinking about the math things people knew before we had

So it was different than the leap from high school

the words to describe them. Like people

to undergrad?

doing construction. Numbers will be everywhere down to what speed is safe to

There was still a leap. I was panicking my first

stop your car at before a stoplight. And

semester because I felt like I didn’t know

there’s this whole area called voting theory

anything in class, and I asked my advisor if

which is sort of new for math that calculates

there’s an undergrad class I could take, and

how much power the president really has.

he just said “The gap is so great between

There’s math for all areas of your life.

what they teach you in undergrad and what we’re trying to teach you in grad school that

I want to talk again about math at home.What

it wouldn’t matter, it would be better for you

thoughts do you have about how we approach

to just take this class twice.” Another

math, how we think about math, how we

professor described it as a fire hose, “We just

encourage or discourage our students to get into

turn it on at you and hope you absorb

math?

something” - that made me laugh nervously.

I’m coming to realise, or I don’t know if I Wow ok. Now that you know so much about

really thought about it before, but

math, I’m curious whether you see it connected

discouraging people from math isn’t

to your everyday life?

specifically a Bahamian problem it’s an all around the world problem. I think people say,

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I do see it more now and it makes me sad

“Oh you’re not good at math,” and then

that it took me so long to see a lot of stuff.

that’s just it. Why would you try any harder at

For example, there’s something called fractals

math when someone says you’re probably

- no matter how much you zoom in on a

not a math person? It would be really great if

picture you see the same pattern over and

we could present math as very doable.

over again, and it’s not a simple pattern. If you

English is presented in class as a subject we

think of a leaf and you hold it up to a light

expect everyone to learn, we insist on having

you see the same thing over and over again.

good grammar, whereas math is like, “Uh, I

You see it a lot in nature, like coral and rocks.

guess if you learn to multiply you’ll make it.” I

was kind of lucky, my parents were like, "You

try again.You can always take the exams

can do this, you can learn all of this stuff."

again.

Nobody told me I wasn’t a math person, but had someone told me that in grade 5 for

Yea, and like you said because our math currently

instance, I would never be doing math right

is geared towards everyday situations, you could

now.

still figure out your change, multiply stuff and do things around your house, and bake with your

What do you think about the BGCSE results? And

fractions…

how people feel stressed out about them?

Yea, that’s important, and if you feel like you Not to be callous, but everybody can’t get an

have enough math to go about in your daily

A on the BGCSE because then an A wouldn’t

life, and your grades aren’t actively prohibiting

mean anything. What I want people to know

you from doing what you want in your life,

is that you don’t have to feel bad if you got a

then you can always improve after the fact.

D on your math BGCSE. To me that means at

Your peak intelligence might not be in grade

least you can add and you can multiply

12 when you’re taking your exams.You might

something, because you could have gotten an

figure out those triangles when you are 35

E, F or G. We didn’t even get to U.You did

and sitting down and helping somebody’s

something.

child do their homework.You never know.

The results may seem bad and maybe it’s

Yea, I think that’s a really encouraging outlook.

because we think that the letter grades are

Can you talk a little more about fighting to cross

supposed to be A, B, C, D and F, so when

the gap between high school and Vassar, and

people hear a lot of students got D’s it

from Vassar to grad school? Even though you’ve

sounds really poor to them. But a D is in the

always been great at math, you had these

middle of the 7 letters from A to G. I’m not

struggles and didn’t just assume your case was

exactly sure how curving the grades works,

hopeless.

but if D is in the middle, that D should mean that you are average, and average isn’t a bad

Being great at something doesn’t necessarily

thing. Average means you can do something

mean that you don’t have to work hard at it.

with your life. If you get less than a D you can

Math doesn’t come really easily to me. I 8

spend a lot of late nights, I’ve been spending a

figure out how to teach people things, and

lot of late nights for a really long time doing

you can always change it up. It also kind of

math. But I also might’ve been spending late

feels like a puzzle to me, looking at someone

nights doing something totally different, like

who doesn’t understand something right

physics. I had late nights with history too, and

away and figuring out how to get it across to

I love them both.

them. I get really excited when somebody didn’t understand something and I’m the

This abstract math I’m doing sounds weird,

person who helped them to figure it out.

and it probably would be absolutely terrible

That’s probably a selfish reason, but I really

for some people, but doing applied math

enjoy that. I love making worksheets and I

would probably be terrible for me. Statistics

love seeing the differences between how

is scary to me, so I sound really smart saying

textbooks teach you things. Additionally, the

topology and algebra and analysis but I find

math that I would be teaching - not the math

statistics really hard. I also haven’t put enough

that I’m doing now but, everything below this

time in them to really know, so as a math

- is so much more tangible. There are

person me saying this should mean that if you

pictures and objects and lots of examples and

haven’t put a lot of time into math you might

room for creativity.You can write a lot of

never know. At the same time I know about

questions, and there’s the ultimate thing of

people who do very poorly for long periods

writing a textbook: you came up with your

of time at things and refuse to admit that

own way of how to explain this math subject

maybe that’s not their thing. So don’t be that

and this area to some people.

person! But, you never know until you try.

Ok, so, can you tell me about your poem, and the What is it about teaching math that you enjoy so

unit circle?

much? Why do you like teaching math?

My poem, which is my first foray into

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I guess it’s partly because right now I don’t

Bahamian, haiku, math poetry, is pretty much

know if researching in math is going to be

how I felt on the first day of my first math

what I’m going to want to do. But teaching

class at Vassar. Which was literally: “I got this.

math, I don’t know there’s a kind of

Numbers. I’m ready. I’m so ready. I’m gonna

autonomy to it. There are different ways to

do math, I’m gonna do history, and I see my

entire life ahead of me and it’s beautiful and glorious,” and then, 20 minutes into class, this guy says something about the unit circle, and I did not know what that was. And the thing is, I’m not even necessarily certain that I wasn’t taught it, I just couldn’t bring it to mind right away.

Yea, I literally heard the words, my first class.

He said unit circle, and I was already confused. And then he said, triangles, angles, degrees, sin and cosine, and I was just ready to leave. But I wasn’t sitting near enough the door so I had to stay.

Really?

Yea.

The unit circle is That’s the story, so this was freshman year.

just a circle with radius 1. If you had a piece of string and you put one finger

Freshman year. It was actually the second class I ever took at college.

in the middle of the circle, and another on the edge of the circle, and you move

Oh my gosh.What was the first?

the outside finger around the circle, as

Oh it was Chinese, I later dropped that, I

you hit different angles you would have all these different types of triangles, with different relations. The unit circle has really stable points that help you figure out the lengths of the sides of the

did not learn mandarin!

Ok. So this was your first semester?

First semester.

triangles.

So your poem alludes to your confidence with everyday math because you were like, “Multiplication tables, I got this! But unit circle…

Wow. But you made it through! And you just explained what a unit circle is to me!

Sort of. I wish I had a chalkboard, I’m really good with chalkboards.

I don’t know what you are.”

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On Tourism and the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Gabrielle Misiewicz

We all eat, sleep and breathe tourism.

basket, picking apart the issues demonstrates

Whether or not we work in the industry, it’s

other ways that relying on tourism is hurting

an intrinsic part of our lives, and having

our long-term development. We need to

grown up in this tourism-entrenched

make conscious decisions about our

environment, it’s shaped the way we view

priorities as a nation and how these will

ourselves and the world. I’ve been thinking

dictate our plans to move forward, and in

about this a lot lately, particularly because I

order to do that we need to fully understand

spent the past year studying the development

the implications of the status quo.

of the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival. The

Tourism is the bread and butter of

obvious problem with the venture is that it

our economy, and has been for years. Our

used Trinidad’s Carnival as a template –

mastery of the industry has yielded great

although concessions to Bahamianise it were

rewards, transforming The Bahamas into one

made after protest. A lot can be said on this

of the wealthiest nations in the Caribbean,

subject, and diving in reveals further issues,

with a GNI per capita of $21,570.1 According

relating to our nation’s status as a postcolony,

to Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr.

our relationships with other countries in the

Daniel Johnson, “The tourism industry

Caribbean, and the ways tourism affects the

accounts for more than 60 percent of the

functioning of our society on every level. The

country’s GDP and provides employment for

controversies surrounding the creation of the

about one-half of the country’s workforce”.2

Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, and now with

Although economic inequalities are still a

the opening of Baha Mar, have created a

serious problem, and development has not

sense of urgency in many of us about the

been consistent across the archipelago, there

need to revise our economic model. Beyond

can be little argument that tourism dollars

the fact that we have all of our eggs in one "The Bahamas”, The World Bank, 2015, data.worldbank.org/country/bahamas.

Says Bahamas Economic Model ‘Unsustainable’,” The Tribune, May 6, 2014, www.tribune242.com/news/2014/may/06/minister-says-bahamas-economic-model-unsustainable/.

1

2 “Minister

15

are responsible for the changes that

cultural sector; each announcement and

modernised and developed The Bahamas.

milestone was plagued with strife.

Small wonder, then, that the

Bahamians called in to radio talk

government would turn to tourism as a

shows, wrote letters to the editors of dailies,

saviour in the midst of an economic

weeklies and newsletters, and had

recession. Perry Christie stated baldly that he

conversations among themselves on

wanted a piece of the prosperity he saw

Facebook to discuss their issues with the

carnivals bringing to Trinidad, Brazil, New York

carnival. These included the cost, the logo and

and Canada.3 The Bahamas National Festival

original slogan, the costume designs, the

Commission (BNFC) and Dr. Johnson also

music and treatment of Bahamian musicians,

told the public that the Bahamas Junkanoo

and the fact that it seemed the government

Carnival should be thought of as an

was ignoring pressing social issues in favour

economic stimulus, and the event was

of party planning. Fundamentally, the Bahamas

explained the way any businessperson would

Junkanoo Carnival felt like a huge betrayal by

pitch a profitable venture. All of this is

the government. People constantly described

completely understandable given the role

the event as “copying”, or “copycatting”

tourism plays in our economy, but in the

Trinidad. It made many wonder: “Are we

sensitive realm of cultural heritage

good enough, is there anything we have that

approaching these kinds of festivals with a

someone else would value, are we smart

strictly business mindset is hugely

enough, are our ideas clever enough?”4

problematic. Although Christie and the BNFC

Moreover, people rightfully brought up how

expressed a belief that the carnival would

the carnival would make us look to our

invigorate and create a burst of

Caribbean neighbours, who already have a

entrepreneurship from the cultural sector,

hard time accepting us as part of the

the approach of the Commission alienated

community and viewing ours as a culture

most Bahamians, including those in the

independent of the United States. All these well documented objections - and

Krystel Rolle-Brown, “Carnival to Cost $9 Mil,” The Tribune, April 2, 2014, http:// www.thenassauguardian.com/news/46329-carnival-to-cost-9-million.

4 Candia Dames, “Uproar in Carnival Commission,” The Nassau Guardian, January 26, 2015. www.thenassauguardian.com/national-review/53345-uproar-in-carnival-commission.

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recommendations for alternative approaches

American tourist, and on the other from our

- were met with almost total disregard by the

Caribbean neighbours. We have to please the

BNFC, creating even more rancour among

first and continually try to be in community

the public.

with the second, which involves a fair amount

The recently released figures for the

of gymnastic manoeuvring since the two

Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival have only made

obligations have almost opposite

matters worse, as we are faced with the hard

expectations, and require opposite priorities.

truth that although tens of thousands of

For instance, tourism forces

Bahamians were present at carnival events, it

Bahamians (and tourism-centred nations at

cost taxpayers $11.3m, $2.3m over what was

large) to be ever aware of, and to play to, the

already thought of as an excessive budget.5

desires of our visitors. These visitors are

Moreover, there were only 900 tourists,6 an

often looking for an ‘authentic’ experience,

incredibly disappointing (albeit unsurprising)

forcing us to negotiate the production of this

number, given the fact that the event was

authenticity. We know what they are looking

envisioned as a major tourist attraction. The

for: the brand of The Bahamas is synonymous

general consensus seems to be that the

with extraordinary beauty, the place to go for

government simply threw us one expensive

serenity and fun in the sun. The Caribbean in

party.

general has long been imagined as a tropical I’m not going to write a post mortem

paradise, warm and permissive, where the

of the carnival however; as I said earlier I’d

land, the resources, and the people are open

like to highlight the larger issues that the

to visitors’ use: the quintessential place to

venture reveals. The tensions surrounding the

play.7 Engineering this scenario means

creation of the carnival encapsulate the dual

adapting our product to this exotic vision,

pressures that we face as a nation: on the one

which simultaneously shapes and reinforces it

hand from the wider world, particularly the

Rashad Rolle, “Carnival Reveals ‘Significant’ Revenue Shortfall” The Tribune, July 29, 2015, http:// www.tribune242.com/news/2015/jul/29/carnival-reveals-significant-revenue-shortfall/.

6 ibid.

7 Mimi Sheller,“Demobilising and Remobilising Caribbean Paradise, “in Tourism Mobilities, ed. by Mimi Sheller and John Urry (London: Routledge, 2004), 13.

5

17

in the minds of tourists, thereby trapping us in an unending, unforgiving cycle.8 Carnival easily fits this dream of the

Underlying the relationship between Bahamians and tourists is the legacy of colonialism, which adds depth and complexity

Caribbean, and has proven elsewhere its

to all of our societal issues. Although

success as a money-generating enterprise.

colonialism has ended, colonial-type

Thus, Perry Christie’s decision to develop

relationships persist and continue to create

our own carnival is unsurprising and speaks

difficulties for us. Tourism “both reinforces

to the very system I just described.Yet, to

and is embedded in postcolonial relationships.

meet the tourist vision, the BNFC made

Issues of identity, contestation and

decisions which collapsed differences

representation [central to postcolonial

between The Bahamas and Trinidad. This

studies] are increasingly recognised as central

helped the event fit the generic and exotic

to the nature of tourism”.9 Ideas about the

vision of the Caribbean, and made ‘our’

people and culture of the Caribbean

culture simple and understandable to tourists,

populated during colonial times, serving

but undermined our nation’s identity-building

colonial ends, inform tourists’ expectations

process and our relationship with our

and understanding of authenticity. Not only

neighbours. Belonging to the community of

do these ideas feed into that cycle, they have

Caribbean states involves uniting over our

also contributed to our conception of

similarities, but also preserving what makes

ourselves. Among other things, this dictates

us distinct from the whole - securing not only

whether or not we take steps to end the

our position as member but our unique

cycle, with for example an empowering

contribution to the body. In commodifying

cultivation of our own culture, a refusal to

Trinidad’s Carnival, the government shouted

meet stereotypes and instead working to

to the region that we have no distinguishing

create an industry that serves us and our

culture of our own, and thus do not truly

visitors. In other words, the approach so

belong in the community.

many Bahamians were advocating for with the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival.

For further discussion on this subject, see Jerome Camal, “DestiNation: The Festival Gwoka, Tourism, and Anticolonialism,” in Sun, Sea, and Sound: Music and Tourism in the Circum-Caribbean, ed. by Timothy Rommen and Daniel T. Neely (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014).

9 Michael C. Hall and Hazel Tucker, Tourism and Postcolonialism: Contested Discourses, Identities and Representations (London and New York: Routledge 2004), 2.

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The ‘foreign is better’ mentality is another inheritance from our colonial past.

This was reinforced in the production of the

or any other industry is detrimental to this process.

Culture and identity are in an obvious

Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival because its

feedback loop. Analysing the development of

template, as well as its highest profile events,

the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival also makes

were all sourced from non-Bahamian

plain the relationship between culture, the

elements. Our feelings of inadequacy -

economy (specifically the tourism industry)

because of these decisions - and betrayal -

and identity. The carnival, a new form of

because (most of us) know we are fully

cultural expression, was initiated out of an

capable - are closely linked and rooted in this

economic need. It’s too early to tell whether

mentality; it explains the overwhelming

it will have traction with Bahamians in the

outcry against the carnival.10 Three centuries

long-term, but judging by the amount of

of colonial rule are not easily erased, and we

people who attended the events, and the fact

have a herculean task to overcome the

that so many support the idea of a summer-

ideologies and systems that it left behind. The

time festival, it’s definitely possible. Tourism

late Michael Manley, former Prime Minister of

has also influenced the development of older

Jamaica, described colonialism as a “period of

forms of cultural expression. The most

cultural strangulation,” resulting inevitably in a

obvious example here would be Junkanoo,

nation’s reduced self-confidence.11 Thus, if

which certainly wasn’t started for visitors, but

postcolonial societies are to “re-establish

once the upper classes and the government

self-confidence and re-embark upon the

saw its potential for economic development,

process of self-discovery,” they must

it was seized for commercialisation.

rediscover the validity of their own culture.12

The Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival also

Being pressured to do otherwise for tourism

helps us realise that, because tourism is our number one source of income, even the

How then to explain the huge crowds at carnival events? I think curiosity, the opportunity to do something fun and new and fresh, the desire to support people we knew who were involved, and an unwillingness for such a huge venture to fail.

11 Michael Manley, The Politics of Change: A Jamaican Testament (London: André Deutsch Limited, 1974), 145.

12 ibid, 146. Manley asserts that these nations must return to the point of colonial intervention and retrace the steps through history. This is not quite possible in The Bahamas since after the decimation of the Lucayans there has always been a colonial presence. Nevertheless, the sentiment rings true.

10

19

things which are most intimate to ourselves

accountable to guard13 our culture and/or

are vulnerable to be called into its service.

heritage? Is this even a reasonable question

While Junkanoo is regulated and controlled

to ask? Considering the government

in ways it never was initially, it remains firmly

instigated the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival,

in the domain of Bahamians and provides a

and aggravated the public in its unwillingness

forum for us to commune with one another,

– for the most part – to receive criticism, we

comment on social issues and air our

are a far way from an ideal stewardship

grievances. Nevertheless, there was no

scenario. To be clear, I’m not saying that we

debate over whether it should be at the

shouldn’t want to share our heritage with

centre of the carnival, an event

non-Bahamians. I’m advocating for us to

conceptualised specifically for outsiders - this

consider the implications of this action and

shared desire seemed completely instinctive

the best ways for this to happen. It is a

and natural. But why? It occurred to me that

complicated balance: being empowered to

if it were not for the copying of Trinidad

develop and harness our culture the way we

Carnival, the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival,

see fit, while protecting ourselves from the

masquerading as a Bahamian event while

greedy and destructive sides of the tourism

keeping true local culture away from the

industry.

consumption and gaze of tourists, could be

I’m not sure exactly when, but at

an effective way to combat neocolonial

some point I realised that I really disliked

relationships and put more power into the

tourism. I felt sometimes as though I could

hands of Bahamians in the host-visitor

not breathe, weighed down as I was by the

tourism dynamic.Yet this idea of protecting

brand of The Bahamas and non-Bahamians’

what is Bahamian from the forces of tourism

expectations of myself – how I should sound,

never came up in anything I read or heard.

the life story I should tell, the friendly and

Perhaps the nature of the host-visitor

inviting persona I should adopt when

relationship prevents that from being an

discussing my home. I don’t know whether

option.

other people feel the same way, but I carried This relationship prompts the

my share of the responsibility for the success

question: How do we hold the government

of our industry. Thus, in an effort to create a

I am not asking about a strict preservationist model of guardianship, rather, a conscious and thoughtful management of our cultural resources with room for change and growth.

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20

small haven for myself, I actively avoided any

decisions that bring us closer to The Bahamas

work or projects related to tourism.14

of our dreams.

The Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival was too big to ignore, however, and having studied it I now realise the great benefit in interrogating our industry. The carnival

Gabrielle wrote about the Bahamas Junkanoo

demonstrates the slippery relationship

Carnival for her master’s thesis, which she’s

between ourselves and tourism: the things

happy to share with you if you’d like to read it.

the government is prepared to ask us to do

Send her an email at gmisiewicz@gmail.com.

in service of the industry; the ways we so readily adapt our lives for the industry; the ways questions about tourism become questions about ourselves. This latter category was one unexpected benefit of the carnival - the controversy opened up a space for us to discuss who we are and how we want to be seen. We have to keep pressing though, especially now that the inaugural event is over. This essay just scratches the surface in terms of the issues created and perpetuated by the tourism industry, and we must not stop probing the consequences of such a mammoth entity on our individual and collective lives. These conversations are vital for total awareness of our postcolonial condition, thereby equipping us to make the

References: Camal, Jerome. “DestiNation: The Festival Gwoka, Tourism, and Anticolonialism.” In Sun, Sea and Sound: Music and Tourism in the Circum-Caribbean, edited by Timothy Rommen and Daniel T. Neely, 213-237.

New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.

Dames, Candia. “Uproar in Carnival Commission”. The Nassau Guardian, January 26, 2015, www.thenassauguardian.com/nationalreview/53345-uproar-in-carnivalcommission.

Hall, Michael C. and Hazel Tucker. Tourism and Postcolonialism: Contested Discourses, Identities and Representations. London and New York: Routledge, 2004.

Manley, Michael, The Politics of Change: A Jamaican Testament. London: André Deutsch Limited, 1974.

I had these feelings even though I’ve never worked in the tourism industry, and my family, for the most part, did not depend on work in the industry to sustain our livelihoods. I imagine that the psychological effects are much greater on Bahamians who have, or have had, direct involvement with tourism, whether through their own work or that of a parent or guardian.

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21

Rolle, Rashad. “Carnival Reveals ‘Significant’ Revenue Shortfall.” The Tribune, July 29, 2015, http://www.tribune242.com/news/ 2015/jul/29/carnival-reveals-significantrevenue-shortfall/.

Rolle-Brown, Krystel. “Carnival to Cost $9 Mil.” The Tribune, April 2, 2014, http://www.thenassauguardian.com/news/ 46329-carnival-to-cost-9-million.

Sheller, Mimi. “Demobilising and Remobilising Caribbean Paradise.” In Tourism Mobilities, edited by Mimi Sheller and John Urry, 13-21. London: Routledge, 2004.

The Tribune. “Minister Says Bahamas Economic Model ‘Unsustainable’.” May 6, 2014, www.tribune242.com/news/2014/may/06/ minister-says-bahamas-economic-modelunsustainable/.

The World Bank.“The Bahamas.” 2015, http://data.worldbank.org/country/bahamas.

22

When the Bough Breaks Yasmin Y. Glinton When the bough breaks dreams will fall from the lips and lids of the dreamers.

They will pick up pencils and paintbrushes scalpels and hearts heavy with the desire to create with no thought of what used to be.

They will call this city their own making buildings pregnant with sketches bold, vulgar radical and explicit.

They shall create wounds in the flesh of the people too long ignored, use their blood as paint and plaster their cries along the shoreline.

Comfort shall rot and fester under their truth. Under their aggression.

Some shall stand ready to whitewash the face placed upon them.

Unable to escape the mirrors of their deeds painted along the walls of the city. Lies will wage war consuming newspapers, instagram and twitter feeds Like rabid dogs they will hunt for flesh as they drag dreamers through debauchery and perversion.

Some shall call the dreamers rebels and radicals, never the luxury of the power of their name, while destroying what does not benefit them.

But, at the base, beneath the dreamers’ hope and someone’s outrage upon the cusp of a revolution | of change you will stand, with your knowledge and art, with your passion and hunger born of hand and heart.

And, it will be you

who is left to build after the bough breaks.

Yasmin is a graduate of St.Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. She is a writer and teacher in The Bahamas, and can be reached at yasminglinton@gmail.com.

25

“All Ah We is One”: Towards a Diaspora Engagement Policy For The Bahamian Diaspora in the United States Mikhail Bullard

Migration has always been a natural

from the Caribbean. Statistics from the

phenomenon in the Caribbean region. In an

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

age of pressures for rapid and sustainable

Development (OECD) highlight that during

development and of competitive rivalry

the latter half of the 20th century the

between countries, however, contemporary

Caribbean region had the highest brain drain

Caribbean policy makers continue to struggle

rate of any region in the world. 16 In fact, 13

with the intractable negative externalities of

of the top 20 global emigration rates for the

emigration of the highly skilled. The

educated labour force to OECD Countries

Caribbean region suffers disproportionately

during that time period belonged to

from the phenomenon of ‘brain drain’. Brain

CARICOM Countries.17

drain is the “international transfer of

For the Bahamas, this level has

resources in the form of human capital and

approached 65% of the tertiary educated

mainly applies to the migration of relatively

population over the latter decades of the 20th

highly educated individuals from developing

century and for Jamaica it is an astounding

to developed countries”.15

85%.18 This loss of educated labour, while

The most alarming statistic with

certainly a byproduct of perceived limitations

respect to brain drain concerns the

in the availability of education and job

emigration of the educated labour force away

opportunities at home, has depleted the

Michel Biene et. al, “Brain Drain and Human Capital Formation in Developing Countries: Winners and Losers,” The Economic Journal118 (April 2008): 631.

16 Frédéric Docquier and Abdeslam Marfouk, “International Migration by Educational Attainment,” in International Migration, Remittances and the Brain Drain, ed. by Çaglar Ozden and Maurice Shiff (World Bank and Palgrave Macmillan, 2005).

17 ibid.

18 Punya Mishra, “Emigration and Brain Drain: Evidence From the Caribbean,” (IMF Working Paper, Western Hemisphere Department, 2006), 17.

15

29

Caribbean of human capital that is an important driver of development.

30

Caribbean of human capital that is an

total Bahamian emigrants to OECD member

important driver of development. The

states, more than any other Caribbean

negative effects of the loss of educated

country, have chosen to migrate to the U.S.

labour is exacerbated as in the main those

over the latter half of the 20th century,

leaving or choosing to remain abroad are in

including more than six out of every ten

large part trained in specific occupations that

educated Bahamians.21 US Census

are intricately woven into a country’s

information highlights that an estimated

development, such as nurses, doctors,

32,578 Bahamians lived in the United States

teachers and engineers, all of which have

in 2012, two thirds of whom had been there

been the most undersupplied regionally in

for at least ten years with the majority living

the Caribbean as a result of the brain drain.19

in South Florida. 22

There is also a fiscal toll from this

According to U.S. 2000 census data,

phenomenon due to the high level of sunk

one quarter of Bahamian residents in the

costs20 from government investment in the

United States older than 25 years had at least

education of those immigrating, and the loss

a Bachelor’s degree.23 The United States also

of tax revenue.

has continued to attract the bulk of Bahamians looking for tertiary education

The Bahamian Diaspora in the United

abroad. Over the past two decades, The

States

Bahamas has far outstripped any other While Bahamian migration to the

Caribbean region as a percentage of

United States has been a historical trend

population studying at tertiary institutions in

since the early 19th century, almost 90% of

the United States. The percentage of

Keith Nurse, Diaspora, Migration and Development in the Caribbean, (Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Foundation for the Americas (Focal), 2004), 7; The Nurse Labour and Education Markets in the EnglishSpeaking CARICOM: Issues and Options for Reform (World Bank, 2009),1-2.

20 Sunk costs are costs that have already been incurred and thus cannot be recovered.

21 Mishra, “Emigration and Brain Drain: Evidence From the Caribbean,” 2006, 15.

22 U.S. Census Bureau, American Fact Finder Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights for the Total U.S.: Bahamian,Trinidadian and Tobagonian, Jamaican, Barbadian (Washington D.C.: Census Bureau, Government of the United States, 2010).

23 ibid.

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31

Bahamians studying at tertiary institutions in

developing the conditions for retention.

the United States has hovered near 0.7% of

These policies are preferable as they leverage

total local population, more than double the

the greatest human and economic capital

next closest Caribbean percentage over the

from emigrants. They are often difficult to

past two decades.24 In 2014, there were

implement for smaller states, however, given

1,744 Bahamian students studying in the

the movement by multilateral institutions

United States, which was the third highest

such as the International Labour

amount in the Caribbean after Jamaica

Organisation towards rights based migration

(2,502) and the Dominican Republic

policies,27 the fact that they will likely be

(1,746).25

costly to implement and the fact that in some instances they might require political

What can be done by small states about

cooperation from destination country

the brain drain?

governments.

Across the spectrum of responses to

The Diaspora option, with its focus

outward emigration, particularly for educated

on facilitating connection, essentially

labour, four central policy choices arise:

represents a second best policy that involves

control, compensation, creation or

drawing “on [a] nation’s expatriates,

connection.26 Control, compensation and

knowledge and financial resources to

creation policies involve efforts to prevent or

stimulate the transfer of resources to sending

manage migration, recoup lost investment or

countries in a relatively low cost way”.28 The

tax revenue from destination countries or

key to it being a low-cost, next-best

focus on increasing local human capital and

alternative is that there can be remote

Rhonda Chipman-Johnson and Joan Vanderpool, Higher Education Attainment by Gender, Enrolment and Employment in the Anglophone Caribbean, (Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2003), 27.

25 Institute of International Education, “International Student Totals by Place of Origin, 2012/13-2013/14,” Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, 2014 http://www.iie.org/opendoors.

26 Jennifer Brinkerhoff, “Diaspora Mobilisation Factor and Policy Options,” in Converting Migration Drains into Gains: Harnessing the resources of Overseas Professionals, ed. by Clay Wescott and Jennifer Brinkerhoff (Manila, Philippines: Asian Development Bank, 2006),141-142.

27 Rights-based migration policies focus on human and labour rights of migrants, largely in destination countries.

28 Allan Findlay et al., "Brain Strain: Optimising Highly Skilled Migration from Developing Countries,” Asylum and Migration Working Paper 3, (London: Institute for Public Policy Research, 2004), 13.

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32

mobilisation and association of expatriates

policies to further strengthen political

for the development of their countries of

integration of those abroad, the area with the

origin through the creation of links without

clearest potential for policy directed action

need for physical or permanent return.29

for Diaspora engagement is establishing a

There are three main policy objectives within the Diaspora option. A central objective involves “remittance

Diaspora networking strategy. i.

Developing Knowledge Transfer Networks The roughly one third of Bahamians

capture”, i.e. increasing the volume and

working in the United States that were

productivity of remittances and encouraging

tertiary educated - which does not even

diaspora Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).30

consider the nearly 1,744 university students

Additionally, other important goals require

that were in the United States of Bahamian

the development of both a “Diaspora

origin in 201433 - represents a significant

networking strategy”31 that provides

resource that could be tapped into for

intermediary functions to incentivise and

Diaspora networking purposes. To further

facilitate knowledge exchange, business

buttress the potential in the Bahamian

investment and diaspora philanthropy along

Diaspora in the US, between 1965 and 2006,

with a “Diaspora integration strategy”32 for

Bahamians in the United States registered the

extending citizen rights and coordinating

largest number of patents of any Caribbean

general diaspora outreach.

Diaspora at 378, more than double the nearest Caribbean country of Cuba at 162

Towards a Bahamian Diaspora Option

registered patents.34 This means that, despite

(Engagement Policy)

its limited numbers, there is certainly

While there are certainly

innovation and human capital in the Bahamian

opportunities for considering the creation of

Diaspora in the United States that is not

Diaspora-specific bonds or for developing

being leveraged. Therefore, there remains the

Uwem Ite,“Turning Brain Drain into Brain Gain: Personal Reflections on Using the Diaspora Option,” African Issues, 30 no.1(2002): 76.

30 Brinkerhoff, “Diaspora Mobilisation Factor and Policy Options,” 2006, 143.

31 ibid.

32 ibid, 144.

33 Institute of International Education, 2014.

34 Keith Nurse, Science Technology and Innovation in the Caribbean (Santiago, Chile: Technology Policy and Development in Latin America UNECLAC, 2007),11.

29

33

opportunity to connect those abroad with

graduate students abroad that may have

those at home in order to enhance transfer

taken on government debt to persuade them

of best practices and new knowledge in

to contribute to the development of the local

respective professions relevant to

university over the short term despite the

development goals. Health care, education,

potential for pay disparities with jobs they

computer and math, architectural and

may find overseas. Such policies would need

engineering occupations all also may provide

to be carefully instituted so that return is

significant areas of opportunity for

guaranteed through bond and employment is

knowledge transfer.

available for the returnee.

Knowledge transfer networks are also

ii.

Encouraging Hometown and Business

important in the academic setting. Given the

Associations

substantial amount of students abroad in the

The most prominent Bahamian Diaspora

United States and workers with tertiary

organisations in the United States are in New

degrees, there is potential boon for the

York City and Miami, Florida: the Bahamian

College of The Bahamas, which is in the

American Cultural Society Inc., the Bahamian

process of transitioning to a university and

American Association Inc and the National

expanding the academic repertoire it offers.35

Association of The Bahamas. The existence of

Attracting those abroad with science, math

these social and cultural networks, which

or health care backgrounds for short term or

facilitate Bahamian community in the US,

interim academic assignments in research or

should also be encouraged in other strategic

teaching would strengthen existing

US cities and be engaged through

programmes offered by the college. Mexico

government outreach to become local

has implemented an interesting loan

reputational intermediaries and ambassadors

forgiveness programme for those who have

for Bahamian culture, products and services.

studied abroad and want to return home to

iii.

teach in a Mexican university;36 a similar program might be considered for Bahamian

Developing a Digital Knowledge Network One potentially rewarding use of

technology for networking can involve the

College of The Bahamas, “College to University – No Country Should Outsource the Higher Education of Its Citizens: Strategic plan 2009 -2019”(Nassau, Bahamas: College of The Bahamas 2009).

36 Lindsay B. Lowell, Policy Responses to the International Mobility of Skilled Labour (Geneva: International Labour Organisation, 2001), 5.

35

34

development of a skills bank that can be used

and lack of technical skills for an industrial-

to register the skills of the Diaspora. The

based economy are impeding implementation

bank could be searchable by officials at home

of the ‘Sustainable Economic Development

to digitally align and connect the skills of the

Plan for Grand Bahama’.39 A campaign that

Diaspora to potential shortages or needs at

targets members of the Diaspora in the

home.37 A searchable database might be

Southern United States for temporary work

useful for The Bahamas in areas where there

or even for longer term opportunities that

is a shortage of workers at home, such as

are involved in relevant areas of expertise

technical skills for industry,38 where there are

might be a short term solution to the

much greater proportions of the occupation

problem Grand Bahama currently faces.

abroad than at home, as is the case in the

Diplomatic and consular offices could

health professions, or where there are

be tasked with ensuring the registration of

potential experiences that might be valuable

Bahamians in the United States. Policy

to draw back home, such as those in

makers should be mindful, however, that

professional and management occupations in

whilst a skills bank can be a mechanism to fill

the United States. The database will also help

shortages with those abroad, this tool “does

give a more complete picture of the jobs that

not take into account the social relations

Bahamians are doing abroad and the extent

shaping how labour markets work” and could

of human capital that is offshore.

be ineffective if the culture and politics of

There also seems to be a shortage in The Bahamas of technical skills which are

employment at home does not encourage reaching out to those that are abroad.40

required for industrial or infrastructure projects. Officials of Grand Bahama, the nation’s second largest island whose major city is a free trade zone, have consistently indicated that the education levels of locals

Conclusion With regards to the bigger picture of a Diaspora engagement policy for small

L. M. Singhvi et. al., Report of High Level Committee on Indian Diaspora (New Delhi:Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, 2010), 445.

38 Neil Hartnell, “Education Reform ‘Urgency’ Needed,” Tribune June 14, 2011, http://www.tribune242.com/06142011_G-Bahama_business_Page1-5.

39 ibid.

40 Beverley Mullings, “Diaspora Strategies, Skilled Migrants and Human Capital Enhancement in Jamaica,” Global Networks 11, no.1 (2011): 39.

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35

developing countries like The Bahamas, I tend

perhaps even more relevant nowadays are

to agree with the academics that suggest one

perceptions of personal and communal safety

must be careful in arguing such policy

at home. As a second best policy option, a

prescriptions are the quick fix to the malaise

diaspora engagement policy should always be

of small island economy development. While I

wed to long term development plans and

have only outlined a few potential elements

utilised to focus on limiting, as far as possible,

of a Diaspora engagement policy, together,

the prevalence of these push factors. It is this

these should strengthen the financial gains

two-pronged approach that will bring the

The Bahamas can get from its Diaspora,

most success over the long term for

extend the exchange of knowledge between

leveraging the human capital of the nation. It

those abroad and those at home and further

is hoped that over the short term policy

integrate those abroad in the social and

makers in The Bahamas will seriously begin

political life of their homeland. In the short

engaging with the Diaspora to strengthen

term, this should lead to increased positive

their connection to home, as opposed to

contributions from the Diaspora to the

capitulating to the less certain path which

development of The Bahamas. Over the long

depends solely on the patriotism and

term, these initiatives should help bolster

proactivity of Bahamians abroad for

Bahamian development and decrease the

contributions to their country’s development.

incentives for outward migration, especially

We can no longer allow the country to

for the tertiary educated.

remain a passive casualty in the global war for

It is this long term that should always

talent.

remain the focus of policy makers, however.

Commonly cited push factors for migrants, particular challenges for small developing

Mikhail has a bachelor’s degree in Criminology and

states, are lack of access to specialised

Political Economy and a master's in Public

education system and research facilities, low

Administration. While he has maintained a research

wages, political instability, underutilisation of

focus on migration, brain drain and diaspora

qualified workers, perceived lack of freedom, perceived lack of meritocracy or transparency in appointments, perceived lack of social anonymity in home societies and

engagement, he broadly has research interests in public policy to foster Bahamian (and Caribbean) development. He can be contacted at mikhailgbullard@gmail.com.

36

References: Beine, Michel, Frédéric Docquier and Hillel Rapoport. “Brain Drain and Human Capital Formation in Developing Countries: Winners and Losers.” The Economic Journal, 118 (April 2008): 631– 652.

Brinkerhoff, Jennifer M. “Diaspora Mobilisation Factor and Policy Options.”

In Converting Migration Drains into Gains: Harnessing the Resources of Overseas Professionals, edited by Clay Wescott and Jennifer Brinkerhoff, 127-150. Manila, Philippines: Asian Development Bank, 2006.

Chipman-Johnson, Rhonda and Joan Vanderpool. Higher Education Attainment by Gender, Enrolment and Employment in the Anglophone Caribbean. International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2003.

College of The Bahamas. “College to University – No country Should Outsource the Higher Education of Its Citizens: Strategic plan 2009 -2019”.

Nassau, Bahamas: College of The Bahamas, 2009.

Docquier, Frédéric and Abdeslam Marfouk.

“International Migration by Educational Attainment”. In International Migration, Remittances and the Brain Drain, edited by Çaglar Ozden and Maurice Shiff.

Washington DC: World Bank and New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

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Water Series Ashley Bethel

In The Bahamas, the ocean is our constant companion. Our islands are so small that it’s never far away, and many of us are lucky enough to see it as we go about our daily lives. Heading off the beaten track puts us in contact with other bodies of water as well - lakes, blue holes, mangroves - all with their own beauty and role in our ecology. We don’t seem to think about it, but water is as much a part of feeling and seeing and being Bahamian as knowing what a conch snack is. This collection of photographs by Ashley Bethel give us a glimpse at its power, serenity and the life always teeming underneath.

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