The HeritEdge Connection Inc. (hence HE) was established in Barbados in 2018 with the aim of promoting and facilitating access to the tangible and intangible heritage in the Caribbean by connecting people, resources, and institutions. It was founded and led by archivist and cultural heritage professional Amalia S. Levi supported by a team of three directors.
Between 2018 – 2021, HE completed several grant-funded digitization projects of archival collections. We engaged the public in free in-person and online workshops to promote creative engagement with digitized collections. We also delivered several presentations on Caribbean heritage to lay and scholarly audiences, provided training on digitization and archival description, and were instrumental in several worthwhile initiatives.
In 2024, HE embarked upon an ambitious capacity building phase, thanks to a generous operational grant awarded by the Mellon Foundation. This award recognized HE’s potential and positioning in the region, and HE’s need to build its organizational capacity to better serve its mission.
This opportunity has allowed HE to deepen its outreach to and engagement with diverse communities, institutions, and individuals in the Caribbean. This is in line with HE’s mission to facilitate the preservation and accessibility of the tangible and intangible heritage of the Caribbean in partnership with cultural heritage organizations in the region. This is crucial as the region faces unprecedented challenges due to climate change and natural or man-made disasters.