HeritEdge Symposium 2026:
Caribbean memory
Thursday, May 14 & Friday, May 15, 2026
Marriott, Hastings, Christ Church, Barbados
A symposium dedicated to learning, discussing, and celebrating Caribbean memory, and addressing current challenges. The symposium invites policymakers, cultural heritage practitioners, and academics to come together for learning about timely matters, sharing their experience and ideas, and connecting with each other.
The symposium is free, but registration is required. Due to limited seating, registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
This is an in-person event. Recordings of the presentations of day 1 will be offered at a later date.
Program
8:45 am – 9:00 am: Registration
9:00 am – 10:00 am: Light breakfast
10:00-10:15 am: Opening remarks
10:15 am – 11:15 am: Opening lecture: Stanley Griffin (Senior Lecturer, Archival and Information Studies, Department of Library and Information Studies, UWI Mona)
“The West Indies Must Be West Indian”: Re/Defining the “Scope, Content and Extent” of Caribbean Archives and Memory”
11:15 am – 11:30 am: Break
11:30 am – 12:30 pm: Alex Gil (Senior Lecturer II and Associate Research Faculty of Digital Humanities, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Yale University)
“Minimal Computing and AI for Caribbean Cultural Heritage: More Questions than Answers”
12:30 pm – 1:25 pm: Lunch
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Eira Tansey (Archivist, Memory Rising)
“Oceans apart: How climate change is impacting island archives”
2:30 pm – 2:45 pm: Coffee break
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm: Amalia S. Levi (Archivist and Director of Programs, HeritEdge)
“Authenticity, Reliability, and the Creator: Whom do we digitize when we digitize?”
4:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Wrap-up of the day and discussion
CoLAB Planning Series Workshops: How to Build Partnerships from Scratch
Workshop leader: Bess G. de Farber, Grantseeking and Collaboration Development Consultant
Professionals in government, heritage organizations, NGOs, and the tourism sector regularly engage within established networks—colleagues, stakeholders, and those who use their services. Yet many of Barbados’ most important opportunities—advancing cultural heritage stewardship, strengthening the creative economy, and supporting sustainable national development—depend on building meaningful collaborations across sectors.
Too often, hesitation to initiate conversations with new contacts limits our ability to form these connections. Let’s be honest: in most professional settings, starting a conversation with someone we do not know well can feel uncomfortable. However, by moving beyond that discomfort, we create opportunities to discover shared interests, align resources, and generate innovative ideas that can contribute to the country’s cultural vitality, economic resilience, and community well-being.
The CoLAB Planning Series workshops aim to identify and mobilize existing strengths—cultural, institutional, and human. Rather than focusing solely on needs, they create structured and engaging opportunities for connection and idea generation among professionals who may not yet know each other or have worked together.
9:30 am – 10:00 am: Light breakfast
10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Morning Workshop – Speed Meetings
This session begins with a brief overview of the origins of speed meetings (introduced in 2002), along with examples of CoLAB themes and outcomes. Using completed profile cards, participants will engage in a series of 3–4 minute one-on-one conversations designed to quickly surface shared interests, expertise, and opportunities. These exchanges often lead to immediate “aha” moments of connection. Participants will then reflect on their conversations and share initial ideas for collaboration using Post-it notes, with attention to opportunities that support cultural preservation, public engagement, and cross-sector alignment.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Light lunch
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Afternoon Workshop – Idea Tables Café
Building on the morning session, this workshop demonstrates how structured group conversations can generate actionable ideas and partnerships. Using profile cards as introductions, participants will engage in three small-group discussions to identify existing resources across sectors and explore how these assets can be combined in new ways. Together, participants will develop ideas for collaborative, coordinative, or cooperative initiatives that support Barbados’ cultural heritage, tourism innovation, and broader national development goals. Ideas will be documented and prioritized based on interest and potential for implementation.
3:00 pm – 3:15 pm: Coffee break
3:15 pm – 4:30 pm: Concluding Session: CoLAB x We Pun A Mission – From Ideas to National Impact
Facilitator: Zimronn Andrews, Senior Transformation and Modernisation Specialist; Policy Strategist, Office of the Head of the Public Service of Barbados
Flowing directly from the CoLAB Planning Series, the objective of this session is to translate the connections, partnerships, and ideas generated during the morning and afternoon workshops into Mission Barbados-aligned initiatives. To maintain an asset-based approach, session participants will be invited to brainstorm actionable next steps in five Mission Barbados core areas: heritage preservation, intangible asset identification, curriculum modification, artistic direction, and economic opportunities.
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