Black Immigrant Daily News

For the first time, the European Film Market (EFM) will have a stand dedicated to Caribbean cinema. The UNESCO programme Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity, funded by the European Union, will host this space with the aim of promoting the Caribbean film industry in one of the sector’s most important international markets.

The EFM will be held from 16 to 22 February during the Berlin International Film Festival – Berlinale, where more than 10,000 representatives of the international film and media industries from over 100 countries are expected.

‘The Caribbean is a place rich in cultures, traditions and mutual influences, which makes it an endless reservoir for creativity and innovation. UNESCO, through the Transcultura programme, is committed to supporting the region’s cultural and creative industries and making their stories accessible to the world,’ said Alessandra Borchi, Transcultura Programme Coordinator.

Under the slogan ‘Meet the creative impulse of diversity’, Transcultura‘s ‘Cinema from the Caribbean’ stand will offer a promotional display window to institutions and festivals from 10 countries in the region, including the International Havana Film Festival, the production house Collectif 2004 Images from Haiti and the National Film Commission of Barbados. These, in turn, will particularly focus on promoting the work of young filmmakers from their countries.

Supporting young people to promote diversity

Transcultura is also supporting the participation of five young Caribbean producers in the EFM’s Toolbox programmes. With projects ranging from an LGTBI+ documentary in Jamaica to a feature film about motherhood in Trinidad and Tobago, the young producing filmmakers will attend a three week professional mentoring programme aimed at providing business, marketing and networking tools to underrepresented groups in the film industry.

In addition, the talent development programme Berlinale Talents welcomes a female filmmaker from Saint Lucia for the first time. Transcultura supports the participation of Zenzii Michelle Serieux in these training workshops to boost her project ‘Imagine Caribbean’ which promotes young filmmaking in the rural community of Mamiku in her country.

With the financial support of 15 million euros from the European Union, Transcultura represents UNESCO’s most ambitious cooperation initiative in the Latin American and the Caribbean region. It aims at creating professional opportunities for young people in the cultural and creative industries through exchange and cooperation in the Caribbean and with the European Union. The 17 beneficiary countries of Transcultura are: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. To date, around 3,000 people have participated in the activities organized by the programme.

The ‘Cinema from the Caribbean’ stand is number 137 at the Marriott Hotel and it is integrated by:

The Motion Picture Association of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados Film Commission, Havana Film Festival (Cuba), Dominican Republic Film Commission, Collectif 2004 Images (Haiti), Jamaican Promotions Corporations, The Audiovisual and Film Association of Saint Lucia, Hairouna Film Festival (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), The Back Lot International Documentary Festival (Suriname) and FILMCO (Trinidad and Tobago).

Caribbean filmmakers participating in the Toolbox Programmes: Letay Tamara Williams (Jamaica), Sophie Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago), Klieon C. John (Saint Kitts and Nevis) and Leidy Laura Gonz?lez (Dominican Republic).

Berlinale Talents: Zenzii Michelle Serieux (Saint Lucia)

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a $10 million dollar support to the International Office on Migration (OIM) to strengthen the protection and resilience of Haitian women and children, along the Dominican Republic border and in migrants’ place of origin.

Addressing CARICOM Heads of Government as a special guest at the 44th Regular Meeting of the Conference on 16 February, in The Bahamas, the Canadian Prime Minister said his country plans to invest an additional 12.3 million in humanitarian assistance.Highlighting the lead role CARICOM should play, he said:

“CARICOM must be an integral leader on this crisis, including through convening political dialogues and helping rally partners, around the globe, to provide much-needed assistance for Haiti.”

In this regard, Prime Minister Trudeau said Canada recognises the establishment of the High Transitional Council as a positive step towards political stability, and it is one that must be broadened.

Concerning regional security, the Canadian Prime Minister announced that his country will provide $1.8 million to “target illicit drug trafficking and strengthen border and maritime security in the Caribbean.”

He noted that criminal elements are becoming “more sophisticated” and therefore, “more support is needed.”

Ending on a positive note he said, “Together we can build a safer, better future, for the people of our countries and around the world.”

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders began their 44th regular summit in Nassau on Wednesday night overshadowed by the continued deterioration of the situation in the French-speaking member country of Haiti, pledging also to find a solution to the political and socio-economic problem there.

“The situation in Haiti requires our urgent attention. The turmoil and suffering there continue to worsen. As a near neighbour, the Bahamas is under great strain and many other countries in our region are already heavily impacted,” Bahamas Prime Minister Phillip Davis told the opening ceremony of the summit.

Davis, who is the chairman of the 15-member regional integration grouping, said the region would benefit “if Haiti is again fully functioning as a state.

“We should learn from the failures of past efforts to help rather than use these disappointments as an excuse for inaction. I pray that we can agree on a series of concrete steps to help move towards a solution for the Haitian people and the region as a whole,” Davis told the audience that included Haitian Prime Minister Dr Ariel Henry and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has pledged his country’s support in finding a solution to the situation.

“We have learnt that inaction has its own costs and consequences,” Davis added.

Earlier, outgoing CARICOM chairman and Suriname’s President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, said Haiti “is in need of our concrete, and feasible assistance.

“We must support the Haitian people. Building on our discussions in the past year, I look forward to how and in what way this assistance can be provided. Democracy, free and fair elections, rule of law and certainly the protection of fundamental human rights are indeed at the core of the Caribbean civilisation,” Santokhi said, adding “we must foster and protect these also in the sister nation in need”.

CARICOM Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett told the ceremony that even as progress is being made on some fronts, CARICOM and the wider international community continue to struggle to help Haiti resolve its multifaceted crises.

“We will continue our efforts to assist all stakeholders in Haiti to ensure a Haitian-owned resolution to the crises,” she said, adding “we will have to show the resilience and fortitude of the Haitian people, as we strive to overcome challenges and advance the initiatives to improve the lives of all citizens of our Caribbean Community.

“That goal – to create a safe, sustainable, prosperous and viable Community for all – has been the guiding principle of our efforts over the last 50 years, and will continue to guide us over the next 50 and beyond,” she added.

Haiti’s prime minister has called on the international community, “especially those countries that can help” to support efforts to deal with the ongoing socio-economic and political situation in his country.

Prime Minister Henry, who succeeded the assassinated President Jovenel Moise, as head of the government in July 2020, has said to deal with this situation, his administration is urging the international community to participate in a specialised multinational force to help the Haitian security forces to fight against the proliferation of organised crime, the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition, and eradicate the gangs that have held the country hostage.

United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres reiterated his urgent appeal to member states to understand the urgency of acting quickly to support the solutions chosen by Haitian actors.

So far, Jamaica is the only CARICOM country that has publicly said it is “willing to participate in a multinational security assistance deployment to Haiti” which is going through a period of political turbulence and economic and social difficulty, aggravated by a climate of insecurity fuelled by armed criminal groups.

The Caribbean leaders will over the two days discuss a wide range of issues, ranging from climate change to food security and the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Davis said that the pandemic had taught the region a valuable lesson “about what’s important and about what we need to do to save lives and livelihood”.

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