UNESCO introduces new Indentured Indian Immigrant Routes initiative
Dr Kris Rampersad 
Dancers at i1LiTTribute to the Americas in Florida pay tribute to Arrivals with LiTTscapes author Dr Kris Rampersad global intercultural engagements
From the GloCal Knowledge Pot Archives
UNESCO introduces new Indentured Indian Immigrant Routes initiative geared to enhance knowledge around its landing point of Indian immigration, the Aapravasi Ghat.
Dr Kris Rampersad, Vice President of the UNESCO Programme and External Relations Commission and certified UNESCO Heritage facilitator engaged with members to pilot the new Indentured Indian Immigrants Routes initiatives.
As children of both slave and silk routes, though far removed from some of our societies of origin – and I say this acknowledging the also marginalised indigenous communities of our region – we in the Caribbean have naturally existed in trans-boundary spaces with intertwined heritage that span all the continents of the world.
Dr Kris Rampersad, Diversity and Inclusion Strategist & Vice President Programme and External Relations Commission, UNESCO Executive Board
Caribbean critical dimension of labour migration movements
In supporting the global community initiative entitled The International Indentured Labour Route Project, Dr Kris Rampersad, Vice President of the UNESCO Programme and External Relations Commission and certified UNESCO expert heritage educator/ facilitator stated that the Caribbean was a critical dimension of labour migration to post slavery societies.
She noted that more than one million Indian and other Asians crossed the Atlantic to the Caribbean and the Americas in the immediate post-emancipation period.
She said her research shows the islands may hold the key to broadening and deepening understanding pre-Columbian migrations in the Americas as it has been in the colonial and post slavery migrations from Europe, Africa and Asian in its location off the tip of South America and as the most southerly of Caribbean islands.
Dr Rampersad, is an independent scholar, filmmaker and multimedia heritage educator, researcher and journalist, who has been researching and advocating for greater national and international efforts at safeguarding.
Piloted by Mauritius, the International Indentured Labour Route Project was universally supported and adopted by the UNESCO Board, along with other programmes to safeguard vulnerable heritage assets in other countries. It followed on the negotiation of the text which came before the Programmes and External Affairs Commission.
Synergies between indentured, slave and silk route initiatives
Rampersad suggested to UNESCO that as the project unfolds, the Board also explore not only the synergies with the Slave Route project but also the potential of private-public sector and NGO partnerships within both and how they may broadening and deepening the proposed refocus on oceans and small island developing states so as “to accommodate equity and balance and the cultural diversity and heritage dimensions in the United Nations post-2015 sustainable development agenda.
”The Mauritius initiative drew from a decision of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee that considered the importance of an International Indentured Labour Route Project to complement the Slave Route Project and the General History of Africa which will be implemented in the context of the International Decade of People of African descent.”
Rampersad noted that the new programme, which has already been highly commended by Africa, Asia/Pacific, European and Latin American and Caribbean delegates also presents possibilities towards heightening the dimensions of international cooperation promoted in the UNESCO conventions against trafficking in cultural property (1970), World Heritage (1972), intangible cultural expressions (2003), diversity of cultural expressions (2005) and underwater cultural heritage (2006).
In an interview on the initiative, she said: “Ebola is today waving its passport of global citizenship and has more clearly brought home to us the realities of the borderless world in which we really exist.
“As children of both slave and silk routes, though far removed from some of our societies of origin – and I say this acknowledging the also marginalised indigenous communities of our region – we in the Caribbean have naturally existed in trans-boundary spaces with intertwined heritage that span all the continents of the world.”
Danger of disappearing
While in some of our societies these remain vibrant and effervescent and spawning new cultures through fusions, in others they are significantly in danger of disappearing from various pressures, still unmapped, understudied, underassessed and undervalued in the contexts of our global village.
“In turn, we have also spawned other diasporas, offspring of our complex Caribbean societies, in other parts of the Americas, in Europe, in Africa and in Asia itself, that are not just parallel to but intimately intertwined with the storyline of our post slavery evolution.”
Need for Training and Capacity Development
In acknowledging synergies between the Slave Route Project and the new project, the Board “recognised the need to develop professional capacity in fields as history, anthropology, archaeology and heritage towards creating an international database on indentured labour… about such a major historical event and build greater understanding and cooperation among peoples.”
The UNESCO Executive Board also lent support for a series of activities to celebrate UNESCO’s 70th anniversary; initiatives related to prioritising education and culture in the UN post 2015 development agenda, introduced new international prizes and revived some which were suspended owing to financial and other challenges.
About Dr Kris Rampersad
Dr Kris Rampersad is the first UNESCO-trained facilitator for the English-speaking Caribbean on the Convention for the Protection and Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2003). She served as an independent member and Vice President of the consultative body of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Culture-Centred Development
She has also been part of Commonwealth and UNESCO initiatives to recognise culture-centred development through these and other conventions that drive the cultural and creative industries sectors as the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005).
Dr Kris Rampersad, was unanimously elected Vice President of the Programme and External Relations Commission on the 58-member UNESCO Executive Board for four consecutive terms.
Dr Kris Rampersad is an independent international sustainable development strategist for inclusive development. She is a UNESCO trained hertiage specialist, National Geographic educator, Google Digital Skills Ambassador and Woman Tech Maker’s Ambassador and WorldPulse Digital Ambassador.
Dr Kris Rampersad is pioneering creative educational entertainment through CEIBA-EDUtainment and AuthenThink Intel AI AnalyEthics.
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