Persons in the Barbados diaspora congregated to discuss brain drain and its effects on Barbados and what can be done to promote the remigration of Barbadian youth to Barbados.
Last Monday, the Bajan diaspora came together in London for “Routes to Bim—Engaging Diaspora Youth in the Development of Barbados.” The panel and open conversation addressed the increasing brain drain in Barbados, particularly with young persons leaving and migrating from the island hoping to seek better opportunities, subsequently draining Barbados of valuable talent that can further develop the island.
She introduced the panel hosted by Marcia Weekes from the Marcia Weekes Show, which included Ricardo Eversley, senior lecturer in digital innovation at London Metropolitan University, Wendy Cummins, founder of Radiate Festival in London, and Leah Affia, a vegan chef.
Bringing together the Barbadian youth diaspora at St John Divine Community Centre in Southwest London, the conversation aimed to formulate ideas and plans to draw back the young Barbadian diaspora to the island.
The panellist started with personal anecdotes accompanied by answering queries from the diaspora audience.
The audience made comments concerning their hesitation to repatriate to Barbados, with most highlighting the high cost of living on the island, with one audience member stating, “I tried living there for six months, and it was more expensive than living in London so I had to come back to the UK.”
Similarly, an audience member highlighted their disapproval of the medical system, stating, ” There are very few amenities provided to hospital patients. I had to send down pillowcases and sheets for my family members in the hospital as they were not provided.”
One member spotlighted the difficulty in being an entrepreneur in Barbados, finding that there was little to no assistance or information from the Barbados High Commission in the UK or from the government in Barbados pertaining to opening a business on the island.
Needless to say, the members of the Barbados diaspora in the UK had their reasons for not wanting to pursue repatriation. However, solutions were created, including suggestions for opening up the job market in Barbados by expanding the technological and creative fields to accommodate the increasing advances in those spaces.
With his background in digital innovation, Ricardo Eversley raised an interesting proposition to merge Barbados’s tourism experience with VR technology to create an immersive experience for tourists and Bajans alike.
Similarly, Cummins accentuated that Visit Barbados needs to make Barbados more appealing to young Bajan citizens and descendants rather than only focusing on “white tourists”. The argument is quite fair, with many advertisements and outreach targeting tourists and treating tourists more respectfully than Bajan locals.
Nevertheless, progress was made, with the Barbados diaspora inspired to return to the island and bring their skills to better the country.
Savanah Robinson
