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Hi, and welcome to the new Carib-Beam blog where I’ll be examining media, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship from the perspective of the English-speaking Caribbean.

My name is Annalee Babb and at various times I’ve been a journalist, diplomat, adjunct professor in communications,researcher in new digital media technologies, and member of the Caribbean’s C-suite as the founding and former Chief Executive Officer of Invest Barbados and currently CEO of my own consulting firm, ACB Knowledge Consultants Incorporated.

I’m thrilled to be creating a space on the web where I can share perspectives on the lessons I’ve learned working in these capacities in and on behalf of the Caribbean.

I’ve always believed our people possess creative instincts that can position the region among the most successful in the world.  But there’re barriers to realising the possibilities that must be addressed, especially given recent tectonic shifts in the global economy whose absolute effects many developing countries are yet to fully experience.

Amid these challenges, the Caribbean’s stability is in danger of being unsettled by a growing culture of tribalism counter to ideals of national collaboration, regional integration, and shared economic security.  Added to this is the idea that the region gets lost in intellectual pursuits and analytical assessments without developing clear, simple strategies for advancing its economic, social and cultural agendas.

Almost 20 years ago, one of the Caribbean’s Nobel laureates in Literature, the writer and poet Derek Walcott of St. Lucia, suggested to the world that in the Caribbean, we are “the people on whom the light falls”.

So yes, as we enter the second decade of the 21^st Century, the Caribbean is facing serious challenges from within and without.  But I believe there is a light in the region – a wisdom – that not only holds the answers to our internal challenges but can also speak to the world in ways that enlighten, empower and transform.

So What Will I Be Blogging About?

While this blog will focus on issues related to media, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, it can’t detach itself from the social and cultural contexts in which Caribbean economies function.  And while others succumb to the temptation to blog exclusively about the region’s internal challenges, this blog will highlight Caribbean wisdom and creative ideas as a means of engaging with the world.

If there’s one lesson the global financial crisis and economic depression of 2009 taught us it’s that we can’t decouple man-made systems and institutional structures like markets from the human behaviour that shapes the results they deliver.

And where once those results could be contained within a distinct geographical space with relatively limited consequences, globalisation has resulted in the probability that any failings within these systems or structures will extend far beyond the place of origin to negatively impact far-flung countries and people.

This blog, then, will look at the Caribbean through a global lens.  Here is where every week, starting today, I’ll share information, analysis, knowledge and wisdom from a Caribbean perspective that might have some relevance for you wherever you are.  Here is where you’ll find Clear Ideas to Brighten the World. 

In the coming weeks, I’ll be blogging about The Monetization of Everything:Maintaining Social Values in a Market-Driven Culture; Exporting Caribbean Innovation: 10 Ways to Sell Your Creativity but Keep Your Soul; Privacy in the Age of Social Media; The Caribbean and the Commercialisation of Knowledge; Institutions vs. Movements:  A New Model for a New Generation; The Children of Caribbean Independence:  Making Room for a Digital Generation to Govern; The Caribbean’s Millennial Generation:  Where Are They and What Are They Doing Now?; and The Death of Globalisation: Implications for Caribbean Culture and Society.  From time to time, I’ll also be inviting experts from various fields and countries to share their ideas and knowledge as guest bloggers in this space.

I’d love to hear from you so please feel free to comment on anything here and also let me know what you want to see discussed or showcased in the future.

So bookmark this blog, e-mail it to a friend/colleague, download our weekly audio podcast, add our RSS feed, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.  Join me in using Carib-Beam to communicate clear ideas that brighten the world!

-- ACB