The images that dominate the cover are of the colossal Adán and Eva bronze statues, measuring 222x110x63 and 226x90x75, housed at the Museo de Antioquia in Medellin, the Colombian city where the great artist was born in 1932.

House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP) published Nativity, a trilingual volume by Lasana M. Sekou in 2010. It might be the first book published in the Caribbean with cover art by the acclaimed painter and sculptor. Botero has been called a most “Beloved artist of the Americas” and as one of the world’s most successful contemporary artists, his iconic paintings sell for millions of dollars. (Artcity 21)

The “presence” of Botero’s work in St. Martin—standing relief on the book cover of a St. Martin/Caribbean literary text—probably should not be taken lightly.

“We all expand through this connectivity,” said Laura Richardson, director of the island’s important Roland Richardson Gallery. To the art director there is an essential connection between publisher, author, an artist’s work in relation to the book’s presentation, and the cultural consciousness of an “emerging nation” like St. Martin.

Regionally, the Botero images on a Caribbean book could stir conscious and subconscious questions, discussions, and casual comments about “what is art.” In St. Martin, recognizing beauty or emotional power in the masterpieces, can cause some to find new meaning in the exciting promise and serious production of the native art scene.

If the book in any way increases the amount of people who would see the art, especially in the home, then the Botero pieces could also relate to the value of art, to greater appreciation for and comparison with the works of the island’s own great painters, Roland Richardson and Cynric Griffith to name some.

Imagine that by “taking in” artistic images, while handling and consuming a cultural creation or product like Nativity, wider interest could be generated in art. In this regard, the art of an artist of the magnitude of Botero, viewed from the forum of a book cover, could also inspire further wonder and excellence in producing art in St. Martin, in the Caribbean. All of this while representing artistic and cultural identities that will last beyond the “don’t player-hate” mediocrity competing for prominence in our times.

HNP has placed work by outstanding artists on and in a number of its books. The mastery of Roland Richardson and the late Romare Bearden; the nouveau art genius of Cozbi Sanchez and Ras Mosera; the avant-garde and multimedia art of Drisana Jack and Angelo Rombley, tell of a few artists whose works have represented an essential art link between publisher, author, artist, book, and the cultural and creative consciousness of reader or nation. The cover of Nativity continues building this gallery of “connectivity.”

While HNP was wrapping up the “use permission” protocol with the Museo de Antioquia for the Adam and Eve images, the Dominican Republic had already cleared the way for the maestro’s work to be in that Caribbean country – launching the UNESCO designation of Santo Domingo as the American Capital of Culture for 2010.

This would be the first major solo exhibition by Botero in the Caribbean. I specify solo because of group shows at the University of Puerto Rico in 1970, and recently at FIART in the Dominican Republic. And I am mindful not to say the Caribbean “region” as that would include parts of Colombia and Botero’s early history at Tolu. Of course there are art experts far more knowledgeable than I who claim Botero as “one of Latin America’s, or the Caribbean’s – depending on which geography you follow, most famous artists.” (CAW magazine; Latin American Art)

The exhibition – “Fernando Botero: el dolor de Colombia” (Fernando Botero: Colombia’s Pain) – was on view at the National Gallery of Fine Arts in the historical capital from February 4 until April 4, 2010. The 25 oil paintings, 36 drawings, and 6 water colors were reviewed as the “artist’s denunciation of the history of violence in the last few decades in Colombia.” (listindiario.com; repeatingislands.com)

Botero is known for speaking his mind and for his generosity, which can be robust as his gorgeously fat paintings and sculptures. His “Boisterous, Provocative Artwork” (Chicago Sun Times.com) can be elegantly playful as The dancers, which by the way is mentioned, “todas gorditas gorditas,” in Nativity (p. 133). Botero’s art can be powerfully iconic as the paintings of the Abu Ghraib tortures that caused uproar in the USA and that in 2006 were said to evoke “images of Christian martyrs.” (nytimes.com)

The exhibition of Fernando Botero in the Caribbean in 2010, is an art happening. Whether on a book’s cover, in a national gallery, or through news of the exhibit, it should stimulate some aspect of the human relationship to art. An aspect of that relationship is how people come to know each other across borders through art.

In polyglot St. Martin, while discussing the Botero images and the French translation of Nativity alongside its new English original and Spanish translation, Frantz Gumbs observed that, “the size of countries and territories does not prevent the networking and exchange among cultures, cultural works, and artists in the pursuit of excellence and coexistence.” (thedailyherald.com) Gumbs is president of the Collectivity of St. Martin, a colony of France. The Southern part of the island is a territory of the Netherlands. Sekou and his work advocate “independence and unification” for both parts of his St. Martin nation. (mtmkobbe.blogspot.com)

We may quicker understand great art on display in a gallery or in a museum, but what might art do for literature? According to literary critic Fabian Badejo, Nativity/Nativité/Natividad is a revolutionary text, written in the canto general style of the Americas. Botero’s Adam and Eve may be just the illustrative match to help light up new meaning about what this poetry is attempting to say … and what can be done with poetry, or any other genre of the arts, for life’s sake.

Ed. Note: Jacqueline Sample is a former president of Black Dimensions in Art, Inc. New York; and president of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).

Caption1: Nativity/Nativité/Natividad by St. Martin writer Lasana M. Sekou, book cover images by Colombian master artist Fernando Botero.

Caption2: Fernando Botero, Colombian artist. (wikipedia.com)

BARBADOS – An innovative Barbados company is using the global power of the internet to promote the Caribbean in faraway lands.

The Bimventures-shepherded and -funded company, Caribbean Streaming Network (CSN) in Barbados is showcasing Caribbean events and culture to the world through the online programming of locally-hosted and -produced events. State-of-the-art Live Internet Streaming by CSN offered access to the three-day conference hosted this summer by the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) – Caribbean Sea Commission at University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill campus from July 7 to 9.

A section of the audience at the ACS conference. CSN provided state-of-the-art Live Internet Streaming for the three-day event.
Photograph available at: https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1aV1zlMcY7-M62ZFF0DGx779OU4sP9C-sxYkhfgnUu7k

“The event opened our eyes to the simple fact that our perspective has to change, our language has to change. Events do not happen in country anymore, they are happening online and available to viewers anywhere in the world,” said CSN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Jemmott.

CSN provided live interactive coverage of the conference which registered viewers from Barbados, Belgium, Canada, China, Mexico, the United States and several other countries. As an added bonus, guests were able to log on to the CSN webcast website and chat with other online viewers throughout the entire conference.

“The participation and collaboration aspect was intriguing to organizers as people from around the global were involved in the debates, offering experiences and solutions to some of the problems being discussed,” said Jemmott.

“The feed has been clear and gap free all afternoon in Washington, DC, and the mic and camerawork has also been very good,” typed one of the highly appreciative viewers.

After each event, CSN provides conference hosts with statistics that can be analysed to assist in the planning of future parleys. These include the number of people connecting to view, the amount of data transferred, the amount of time visitors spent viewing the conference as well as transcripts of the chat sessions.

“From the time those cameras go on the world is watching,” said Jemmott, who explained that “having a global perspective means we must employ the technology to research and improve the presentation of our information.”

Mario González Recinos of the Central American Organization of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector ((SICA/OSPESCA) addresses the ACS conference.
Photograph available at:
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1oQ3n3vYucV-fts8P9MAs4L9QVAYfx30Ylra-psHH4q8

He advised that there also must be integration with multi-lingual environments, cross platform usage and above all, the professional representation of the Caribbean and its attributes.

CSN’s goal is to capture, catalogue and engage the world with rich online content, highlighting interaction with website users. CSN’s services include digital marketing of live webcasts, streaming of audio and video content, marketing materials, real time traffic reports, artiste licensing and digital distribution, a user profiles database and streaming platform development.

Other CSN products and services include webcasting, e-commerce and m-commerce, offline data storage, promotion, social marketing/ product groups, social behavioral research, rental of high-end equipment, new media stills and clips, Integrated New Media (live chat, player window) interfaces for computers and other communication devices.

CSN’s management team which includes directors Anton Shepherd, Cleveland Allen and Dr Rean Griffith is currently being mentored under the CBET Shepherding Model which comprises three elements – an entrepreneur with an idea that has the potential for global expansion; timely cash advances for business plan development and implementation as well as quick response to investment requests; and a shepherd (business mentor), supported by a team of business advisors, to help the entrepreneur nurture the business idea into a successful reality.

About Barbados Business Enterprise Corp.
Barbados Business Enterprise Corp. (BBEC) is a public/private sector partnership with the Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust (CBET) Inc. BBEC manages the Barbados Revolving Seed Capital Fund and the Barbados Entrepreneurs’ Venture Capital Fund. BBEC is a virtual organisation that focuses on promoting economic development in Barbados. The trustees of BBEC are respected Barbadian business and development experts, Sir Neville Nicholls (Chairman), Sir Stephen Emtage, Peter Boos and Hazel Highland.

For further information, visit www.bimventures.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bimventures

Twitter: http://twitter.com/bimventures

ENDS

Bmobile which is a national supporter of this major tournament has not only contributed to its execution in terms of financial and technical assistance but has also sponsored the national Under 17 Women’s team training in both etiquette and protocol. This coaching is geared at arming these young athletic talents with life skills that will serve them beyond the field.

It has been noted thatover the last decade, many talented young people have been able to establish professional careers in different sporting disciplines. Bmobile which has been a sponsor of various sporting activities throughout the years ranging from cycling, swimming, golf, cricket and football views this development program as an investment in youth development, as well as the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.

FIFA, as the world governing body for football, has different mandates for the development of the sport all over the world. FIFA is also involved in many campaigns that fight against racism and promote education, gender equality and feminine rights. These goals speak to some of the core values of TSTT and therefore this training initiative is a fantastic opportunity for the telecommunications entity to get involved in the development process and to lend some of its expertise in coaching, etiquette & protocol training and mentoring for the benefit of these female athletes.

In addition to this essential growth and development program and the overall recognition of female athleticism TSTT will afford the Under 17 Women’s World Cup various advertising and promotional opportunities. TSTT will also undertake the responsibility for the technical and communications infrastructure and general assistance throughout the various stadia, the headquarters of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and the temporary offices at the Hyatt Regency.

This will include technical support personnel for each of the 16 teams and the contingent of local and international media who will undoubtedly need mobile and broadband connectivity to properly execute their tasks throughout the course of this nearly month-long event

Football has been for sometime a major focus for TSTT, evidenced by its sponsorship of the Soca Warriors, Bmobile Joe Public, Blink San Juan Jabloteh and the Bmobile National Super League. Therefore, Bmobile believes that holistic support /sponsorship of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2010 is an extension of their overall investment in football, with an opportunity to develop the nation’s female athletes, and the women and youth arm of the game in general.
# # #

KINGSTON, JAMAICA - With a month to go before Jamaica’s hosting of the 19th Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) on Sustainable Tourism, there is growing interest from top-level media from across the region, North America and Europe to be part of the discussions examining the Caribbean’s primary industry.  Organizers have indicated that inquiries are still being received from journalists, even after the deadline has passed for submission of fellowship and scholarship applications.

The conference, which will take place in Jamaica’s business capital, Kingston, from September 30 to October 4, 2010 has also attracted interest from a number of groups and individuals with a passion for agri-tourism, faith-based and other tourism linkage initiatives.

The CMEx fall meeting will be held under the theme “Tourism: Linkages for Growth,” and will include strong representation of the Caribbean Diaspora in North America, which is a key area of focus. The rapidly growing multi-billion dollar faith tourism market and the expanding sports tourism market will also be explored at the conference:

“This conference presents an ideal forum for us to work together with our various stakeholders to strengthen the existing linkages and forge new alliances,” said John Lynch, Director of Tourism and Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board. “We look forward to an inspiring exchange of ideas, and to determining the best way forward to support sustainable tourism throughout the Caribbean region.”

In preparing the conference agenda, CMEx Vice President Lelei LeLaulu asked, “Tourism is the region’s biggest industry, but do we know how much it can influence other sectors of the economy?” LeLaulu, a development expert, noted that this is one of the questions that will be explored at the upcoming session in Kingston, set to attract leading journalists as well as movers and shakers from the tourist industry.

“Agriculture was the economic driver for centuries, and was eventually eclipsed by tourism — but we are convinced tourism can stimulate more specialized agricultural sectors like niche, organic, traditional and medicinal food production,” asserted LeLaulu.

“The global explosion of organic food consumption makes Jamaica and the Caribbean’s proximity to the North American market a potential bonanza. Agri-tourism, so profitable in Europe, is an area we will examine along with coffee routes, with estates often making more money than coffee sales,” asserted LeLaulu, who helped set up tourism projects in Central America and Africa.

Since 2001, CMEx has produced 18 conferences and symposia throughout the Caribbean and North America to underscore the value of the region’s largest industry, tourism, in improving the health, education, culture, environment and wealth of Caribbean communities, both at home and abroad, in a sustainable fashion.

The upcoming CMEx meeting is supported by the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism, and The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.  Additional contributors include: Anse Chastanet Resort, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Barbara Pyle Foundation, Bay Gardens Resorts, Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust, Caribbean Broadcasting Union, CaribWorldNews, Coco Palm, Community Benefit Development, 4P Group, Jade Mountain, Marketplace Excellence, Michael D. Communications, Ruder Finn, and The SpeakEasy M.E.D.I.A. Foundation.

About the Jamaica Tourist Board

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. The JTB was declared the Caribbean’s Leading Tourist and Convention Bureau by the World Travel Awards (WTA) from 2006 to 2009, while Jamaica earned the WTA’s vote as the World’s Leading Cruise Destination, the Caribbean’s Leading Destination and the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination, for the third consecutive year.

JTB offices are located in Kingston, Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are located in Düsseldorf, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Tokyo.

For details on upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica go to the JTB’s Web site at www.visitjamaica.com, or call the Jamaica Tourist Board at 1-800-JAMAICA (1-800-526-2422). Follow the JTB on Facebook at www.facebook.com/visitjamaica, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/visitjamaicanow or on YouTube at www.youtube.com/aboutjamaicajtb.

About The Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx)

The Caribbean Media Exchange produces interactive symposia that match journalists from the Caribbean, North America and Europe with representatives of the government, business hospitality and development sectors to discuss tourism policies aimed at improving the lives of Caribbean people.

Since its inception in October 2001, CMEx has helped improve the quality of media coverage of sustainable tourism in the Caribbean; increase the media’s participation in the design of sustainable tourism policies; remind government decision makers of the impact of tourism on other sectors of the economy; and highlight the necessity of tourism to the economies of small island states.

Its mission is “to be the premier communications organization promoting sustainable tourism, through media and smart partnerships, to create holistic wealth for all peoples, including those in Latin America, the Caribbean and other Emerging Markets.”

For additional details, visit  www.cmexmedia.org.

# # #

This impression of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) was stated by Prime Minister, The Hon Dr. Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in his feature address at the award ceremony at Government House in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Awards Ceremony recognized the contribution of nationals of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the liberalization of the telecommunications sector and the establishment of ECTEL.

The Prime Minister noted that the achievements of ECTEL was the  result of rigorous negotiations and unrelenting dedication and professionalism of leaders, technical staff and advisers some of whom were selected to be honoured by ECTEL through out the region.

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, former Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell, Hon Jerrol Thompson, Minister of Telecommunications, Science, Technology and Industry, Mr. Isaac Solomon, Chairman of the ECTEL Board of Directors, Mr. Donnie Defrietas former Managing Director of ECTEL, Mr. Randolph Cato, Senior Director at the OECS Secretariat and Mr. Apollo Knights  Secretary/Director of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) are the seven persons who were honored in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Member of the ECTEL Council of Ministers, Dr Jerrol Thompson who also spoke at the event called for the revision of the current legislation governing the telecommunication sector to be expanded in scope to embrace the ICT sector. ECTEL will hold similar ceremonies in St. Kitts and Nevis in September and in Dominica in November. In addition to the awards ceremony, national and regional symposiums have been held in the Member States where issues such as the experience of service delivery, collaboration in regional regulation and the impact of ICT on young people have been discussed.

Speaking to the OECS News Link www.oecs.org Appollo Knights said ECTEL’s  presence has significantly improved the accessibility of communications technology by households: “When we started the liberalization process in St. Vincent specifically, fifty percent of the households had a residential land liner. There were only a few thousand maybe two thousand mobile phones which mostly businesses had. But since that time we more or less have all households  that have communication means which is mostly via mobile services… We have seen a large decrease in cost when communicating internationally, especially in countries like the UK and the USA.”

Kights says ECTEL and the NTRC in Kingstown continue to press for a further reduction in the cost of telecommunications service, particularly in the area of mobile phones: The cost of communication has not really reduced that much locally, especially for the mobile phones. So communicating is still substantially higher when compared to the fixed line service and it’s something we have been  working on over the last few years and have found some reduction over the last year but we think more could be done in that area.”

He says most of the seven awardees still contribute to the development of the Telecommunications sector regionally and internationally. The ceremony in St. Vincent was the third hosted by ECTEL and forms part of a year-long programme of activities and events to observe the tenth anniversary of the regional regulatory authority.

L-R  Sir James Mitchell, Mr. Apollo Knights, Mr. Isaac Solomon, H.E. Sir Frederick Ballantyne,  Hon Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Minister Jerrol Thompson, Mr Randolph Cato

This is according to Minister of Education, Sen. the Hon. Nigel Carty.

In his first report on the annual exams since his appointment as Minister of Education in February this year, Minister Carty said 745 students, an increase of 10 percent over 2009, sat the exams in June 2010.

“There were 4,188 subject entries, of which 3,499 returned passing grades for a national average pass rate of 82.11 percent, compared to, 79.84 percent in 2009 and an average of 76.8 percent over the past 4 years,” said Minister Carty.

He said English Language or English A has continued to improve, with a national pass rate this year of 79.2 percent and Mathematics, although still nowhere near satisfactory in our view, has returned a national pass rate of 51 percent, which is above the regional average.

The Cayon High School entered the largest number of candidates – 123. High Schools entered an average of 115 percent of their form 5 enrolment for the 2010 CSEC exams.

“Some schools have been doing a good job at giving borderline students a greater opportunity to sit the CSEC exams and leave High School with a CXC certificate. This is to be encouraged,” said Minister Carty, who added that for this and other reasons, the Ministry has taken a decision not to include individual schools average pass rates in this broadcast.

“The message is, quality is important but there is also great merit in getting more students to write the CSEC exams. On this note, we commend the Cayon High School for its efforts to afford more students an opportunity,” said Mr. Carty.

He said the Washington Archibald High School registered the second highest number of candidates and the highest number of subject entries. The highest number of Grade 1 passes, 172, was returned by that same school.

At the Basseterre High School, 100 students offered themselves in 28 subject areas. “I am pleased to report that all subjects returned pass rates of over 50 percent, with 17 subjects returning 100 percent passes.

The Cayon High School entered 123 students in 25 subjects with most subjects turned out fairly satisfactory performance. Four of them obtained 100 percent passes.

He said Spanish, Physics, Mathematics, Geography, Caribbean History and Visual Arts returned passes of less than 40 percent. “The results for Visual Arts were particularly unsatisfactory because there were no passes whatsoever,” said the Minister of Education, who added that the Principal and management team of the Cayon High School are therefore required to take note and to quickly get to the bottom of the causative factors.

“2011 must be better, with all the relevant support from the Ministry,” said Minister Carty.

At the Charlestown Secondary School, there were 112 candidates in 26 subject areas. All subjects returned a pass rate of over 50 percent, with eight subjects obtaining a 100 percent pass rate.

The St. Theresas Convent School entered 49 students in 16 subject areas. Performance was generally good except in Chemistry and Geography. Six subjects returned 100 percent passes.

Ninety (90) candidates at the Gingerland High School offered themselves for the CSEC exams in 27 subject areas. With the exception of Mathematics, all other subject obtained fairly satisfactory pass rates, including 10 subjects with 100 percent passes.

At the Sandy Point High School, 85 students sat exams in 26 subjects. All subjects returned passes of over 50 percent, of which 14 attained a pass rate of 100 percent, said Minister Carty. He highly commended the SPHS for returning a pass rate of 70.3 percent in Mathematics. This is very good indeed.

There were 62 students taking the CSEC exams in 23 subject areas at the Verchilds High School. Ten subjects returned 100 percent passes. Performance in Visual Arts and Mathematics were unsatisfactory, especially Visual Arts which returned 0 passes.

“This is the second school where this has happened. Clearly, the teaching/learning of Visual Arts in our secondary schools requires some attention,” said Minister Carty.

The Washington Archibald High School entered 115 students in 29 subject areas. All of the subjects performed fairly satisfactorily. Eleven subjects obtained 100% passes.

At the Lyn Jeffers School in Nevis, 9 students were entered in 12 subject areas. Performance in Economics and Geography were unsatisfactory. All other subject areas returned fairly satisfactory pass rates.

ENDS

Photo: Minister of Education, Sen. the Hon. Nigel Carty

According to Federal Minister of Education, Sen. the Hon. Nigel Carty, 456 students registered at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) compared to 313 in 2008 and 372 in 2009 and 143 students registered for CAPE at the Sixth Form of the Charlestown Secondary School compared to 138 in 2009 and 107 in 2008.

“This is a good development as it shows that an increasing number of our secondary school leavers are taking the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education at our national college, with the obvious aspiration of some day moving on to university,” said Minister Carty in a national broadcast.

CAPE is taken by students in the Division of Arts, Sciences and General Studies at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, and at the Sixth Form of the Charlestown Secondary School.

Students take CAPE at Unit 1 and Unit 2 in selected subject areas. Most Unit 1 courses are taken by Year One students while Unit 2 courses are taken at Year Two.

In his address, Minister Carty, who was given the education portfolio in February this year, said in the 2010 exams, there were 1,417 registered subject entries.

“Of the 1417 registered subject entries, 1234 returned results with 991 passes,” said Minister Carty.

This he said is an overall pass rate so far of 80.30 percent, however, an official query has been made to CXC with respect to the results for Literature in English 1 for which no results have been received.

Minister Carty said the 80.30 percent pass rate, although reasonably satisfactory, is down from 2009 when an 82.38 percent pass rate was obtained. “We await the result of the query in order to compute the final pass rate,” he said.

The Minister of Education, reported fairly high pass rates of over 80 percent returned for Accounting 1, Art & Design 1&2, Biology 2, Caribbean Studies, Chemistry 1&2, Communication Studies, Computer Science 1 & 2, Environmental Science 1&2, French 1&2, Geography 2, Information Technology 2, Law 2, Literatures in English 2, Management of Business 2, Pure Mathematics 2, Physics 2, Sociology 1 and Spanish 1.

“Twelve of these subjects had 100 percent passes,” said Minister Carty, who commended all the lecturers for their hard work.

“Special mention must be made of subjects such as Economics, Management of Business and Sociology in which there is always a high enrollment sometimes over 100 students, which are able to return pass rates of over 75 percent. Success in Law Unit 1 was borderline with a pass rate of 52.8 percent. Pure Mathematics 1, Information Technology 1 and Applied Mathematics, by their less than satisfactory pass rates, are being highlighted here as areas of weakness that must be worked on for improvement,” said Minister Carty.

In relation to the Sixth Form students at the Charlestown Secondary School, total of 143 candidates were registered for 573 subject entries.

“The number of candidates showed the increasing trend as mentioned earlier for the CFBC with 107 in 2008, and 138 in 2009. The average pass rate stands at 82.8 % compared with 86.1 % in 2009.

“The majority of the subjects returned pass rates of over 80 percent, with ten subject areas attaining 100 percent passes. However, Pure Mathematics 1, Communication Studies 1, Physics 2, Geography 1 and Management of Business 1 achieved pass rates below or at 50 percent,” said Minister Carty.

He used the opportunity to congratulate the students and lecturers at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) and the Sixth Form of the Charlestown Secondary School for their success and good work.

“I commend the parents of the students for their support, and I encourage all parents to continue to provide the kind of home environment to enable our youth to continue to develop their full potential,” said the Minister of Education.

ENDS

Photo #1 – File photo of CFBC students in 2003

Photo # 2 – File photo of Sixth Form students at Nevis’ Charlestown Secondary School

(Photos by Erasmus Williams)

The Nigerian delegation  was led by Obong Elder S. Jackson, member of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council Governing Board, and included Mr. Lenny Duncan of Global E-management Services and the Chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. Also present was Chief Wallace Williams whom the Prime Minister described as a person who had expended considerable effort to promote the interests of Antigua and Barbuda in Nigeria.

Prime Minister Spencer welcomed the delegation to Antigua and Barbuda and noted that the agenda included areas that were of vital importance to the economy of Antigua and Barbuda.

The meeting discussed establishing Antigua and Barbuda as a digital hub for the Eastern Caribbean and beyond. Mr. Duncan made a presentation that elaborated on the opportunities for positioning Antigua and Barbuda as a key digital platform for sports, entertainment, music, education, trade and tourism in the region.

The meeting further discussed the opening up of direct airline routes between Antigua and Barbuda and Nigeria; the prospects for investment in and the regulation of the offshore banking sector; and the establishment of Antigua and Barbuda as a trade hub for the Eastern Caribbean.

Included in the Prime Minister’s delegation for the meeting were Ambassador Colin Murdoch of the Ministry of Trade; Mr. Paul Ashe of the Financial Services Regulatory Commission; Mr. Gatesworth James of the Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority; Mr. Zoral Barthley of PIC Insurance; and Ms. Adele Blair of the Environment Division.

PM Spencer undertook to establish concrete steps for follow-up, and agreed to a further meeting in Port-of-Spain. (Ends)

The Prime Minister made the comment while announcing the appointment of Ms. Janil A. Greenaway as the country’s new Consul General to Canada.

“It was certainly an honour and a privilege to have worked with Madaline Blackman who during her over thirty (30) years in the Civil Service demonstrated a true love for her country and honest commitment to her duties. Her over eleven years as our Consul General in Canada and over twenty years working in the Tourism Division contributed greatly to the development of Antigua and Barbuda, particularly the tourism sector.”

“Madaline is a unique individual whose life was dedicated to the advancement and promotion of her nation Antigua and Barbuda.  The government commends her for her exemplary service and wishes her well during her retirement,” noted PM Spencer.

Prime Minister Spencer said that he is confident that the work done by Ms. Blackman as Consul General in Canada will be further enhanced with the appointment of Janil Greenaway to fill that position.

“ Ms. Greenaway comes to the position with a wealth of knowledge and experience having worked at the United Nations and the Antigua and Barbuda Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York for over seven years. She is fully competent to take Antigua and Barbuda’s foreign policy to the international community and my government looks forward to her contributions in further developing closer relations between Antigua and Barbuda and the Diaspora in Canada,” said Prime Minister Spencer.

During her meeting with Prime Minister Spencer before taking up her position in Canada, Ms. Greenaway said that she is prepared to take up the challenge and work in the interest of her country.

“It is an honour for me to serve my country in the capacity of Consul General in Toronto, and to promote the interests of Antigua and Barbuda in Canada. Although the Consulate General in Toronto is a small office which currently operates jointly with the tourism department, I believe we can be creative in how we use our resources overseas to help bring tangible benefits home to Antigua and Barbuda.

“Currently the office is mandated to carry out three overall functions which include providing consular services to Antiguans and Barbudans who work, live and study in Canada and individuals who want to travel to Antigua and Barbuda; tourism marketing; and investment promotion. In addition to being a lucrative tourism market, there is also potential to attract direct investments from Canada to our local economy, as such one of my objectives is to develop a work programme that will help us to tap into Canada as a source of trade and investment. Additionally, there are several active associations of Antiguans and Barbudans living in Canada and a significant number of our students studying there,” Ms. Greenaway noted.

Ms. Greenaway who holds a Masters of Science degree In Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, previously served as Deputy Permanent Representative and Minister Counsellor in the Antigua and Barbuda Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. (Ends)

Digital photos:
1.             Antigua and Barbuda Consul General to Canada Ms. Janil Greenaway

34-year-old Collin Anthony Warner died on August 31 while performing duties to restore electrical power to the English Harbour community following the passage of Hurricane Earl.

Cabinet noted his dedication to duty and his constant desire to be of service to those in need at his workplace and within the communities of English Harbour, Liberta and the environs.

“Although familiar with the dangers associated with his duties as a technician, Collin Anthony Warner always placed country above self while doing the job he loved dearly. Colin died in the service that brought joy and safety to others. All whom he came into contact with will miss him dearly.”

Cabinet also decided that the Board Commissioners should institute a thorough review of the safety policy of the Authority with a view of ensuring that they meet current best practices.

Cabinet expressed it condolences to the father and mother of Collin Anthony Warner and other members of his immediate family. May his soul rest in eternal peace. (Ends)