The UWI to launch new faculty to boost
regional culture and creativity
The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Friday, July 31, 2020. —A cultural medley showcasing varied forms of Caribbean creative expression along with eminent regional voices, will feature prominently when The University of the West Indies (The UWI) launches its newest Faculty of Culture, Creative and Performing Arts this weekend. The UWI’s ninth faculty will be situated in Cave Hill, Barbados, bringing the total number to seven available at the Campus.
Under the theme “Creating New Freedoms – Crafting New Futures”, a virtual launch scheduled for Saturday, August 1 will include several leading regional artistes during a two-hour cultural extravaganza that will be carried on the UWItv Flow Cable channel and online platforms. UWI students, faculty, alumni, community groups and special guests will be among the talent on display.
The virtual presentation comes at a time when the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has severely curtailed performance opportunities for a range of artistic and other cultural expressions in the region. This has limited prospects for cultural practitioners to market and optimally exploit their creative potential.
Saturday’s programme will include addresses from Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal of The UWI, Cave Hill, Professor the Most Honourable V. Eudine Barriteau.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Professor Barriteau hailed the new Faculty as a much-needed addition to the University, stating: “At a time when Caribbean countries have recognised the development potential of the Orange Economy, The UWI, Cave Hill is now poised to nurture a new generation of artistes and creatives and build on the region’s cultural and artistic resources. The programmes offered by the Faculty will also provide an opportunity for Caribbean people to gain a greater appreciation of our history, culture and identity and how they interact in creative expressions.”
It is anticipated that the new Faculty will facilitate greater professional recognition and reward for persons employed in the creative and cultural industries, by boosting their earning capacity and career.
Live coverage of the launch of The UWI’s new Faculty of Culture, Creative and Performing Arts airs on Saturday, August 1 from 6 p.m. Eastern Caribbean time/5 p.m. Jamaica time on www.uwitv.org, www.facebook.com/UWITV and UWItv Cable TV channels on the FLOW EVO.
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Related News: New Faculty of Culture, Creative and Performing Arts coming to The UWI, Cave Hill Campus
About The UWI
For over 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally respected, regional university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and an Open Campus. As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe including the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Institute with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); The UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies; the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ); The UWI-University of Havana Centre for Sustainable Development; The UWI-Coventry Institute for Industry-Academic Partnership with the University of Coventry and the Glasgow-Caribbean Centre for Development Research with the University of Glasgow.
The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport.
As the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost objective is driving the growth and development of the regional economy. The world’s most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, has ranked The UWI among the top 600 universities in the world for 2019 and 2020, and the 40 best universities in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2018 and 2019, then top 20 in 2020. The UWI has been the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. For more, visit www.uwi.edu.
(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)
