Positioning The Pandemic: Epidemics and Health in the Caribbean
Event Date(s): 24/03/2021 - 26/03/2021
Location: Online
The Department of History at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, will host its annual History Fest, a three-day series of outreach activities to engage with our local and regional communities, from Wednesday 24th to Friday 26th March 2021.
History Fest 2021 is entitled Positioning The Pandemic: Epidemics and Health in the Caribbean and will examine the most historic outbreaks in Caribbean History and the efforts to combat them within the context of our current Covid-19 pandemic reality.
Through a series of outreach activities (stimulating webinars, roundtable discussions, interviews, video presentations and school competitions), this underexplored area of our history will be critically engaged. History Fest will also spotlight major public health figures in Caribbean History and their roles in the fight against disease and epidemics in the region.
At this most crucial of times, History Fest 2021 aims to be thought-provoking, informative and definitely not one to miss!
WEDNESDAY 24TH MARCH 2021: COVID-19 AND OTHER OUTBREAKS IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
9:00am-9:30am EC / (8:00am-8:30am JA)
Opening Remarks:
Dr. Heather Cateau, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Education, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Dr. Sherry-Ann Singh, Head, The Department of History, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, Chair, History Fest Committee
9:30am-11:30am EC / (8:30am-10:30am JA)
WEBINAR 1: EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS IN CARIBBEAN HISTORY
Chair: Dr. Debbie Mc Collin, Lecturer, The Department of History, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Caribbean Epidemic Response from the Late 19th Century, Dr. Rita Pemberton, Senior Lecturer (Retired), The Department of History, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Lessons from the Spanish Flu Pandemic in Jamaica-1918. Dr. Karl Watts, Lecturer, The Department of History and Archaeology, The University of the West Indies, Mona
Yellow Fevers, Black Bodies, and the Making of Race: Lessons from the West Indies. Dr. Rana Hogarth, Professor of History, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
A Perfect Storm: Infectious Disease and Public Health in Barbados in the early 20th century Dr. Tara Inniss, Lecturer, The Department of History and Philosophy, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill
MID-DAY VIDEO PRESENTATION: THE CARIBBEAN CORONA CHRONICLES (Trinbagonian Stories)
1:30pm-3:00pm EC / (12:30-2:00pm JA)
ROUNDTABLE 1: COVID AND OUR COMMUNITY
This roundtable will bring together stakeholders in the fight against COVID-19 in the Caribbean to discuss the
impact of the pandemic and its resultant lockdowns on Caribbean industries, services and people.
Chair: Dr. Allison Ramsay, Lecturer, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Dr. Michelle McLeod, Member of the UWI COVID Task Force and Lecturer, Hospitality and Tourism, Mona School of Business and Management
Dr. Lisa Indar, Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control, Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)
Ms. Kandie Fabien, Refugee Ministry, Living Water Community, Trinidad and Tobago
Mr. Lloyd Andrews, Financial Advisor, Covid-19 survivor
Mr. Christopher Auguste, Human Resource Management Professional and Community Leader
THURSDAY 25TH MARCH 2021 HEALTHCARE AND HISTORICAL SCHOLARSHIP
9:30am-11:30am EC/ (8:30am-10:30 JA)
WEBINAR 2: DELIVERING HEALTHCARE: PERSONALITIES AND ORGANISATIONS IN CARIBBEAN PUBLIC HEALTH
Chair: Dr. Rita Pemberton, Senior Lecturer (Retired), The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Mary Seacole, Caribbean Nurse and Doctress: Dr. Aleric Josephs, Senior Lecturer (Retired), The Department of History and Archaeology, The University of the West Indies, Mona
The Indomitable Dr. G.H. Masson and Tuberculosis in Trinidad: Dr. Debbie Mc Collin, Lecturer, The Department of History, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Mental Health Facilities: The Trinidad Lunatic Asylum, 1858-1899: Ms. Samantha Hosein, MPhil student, The Department of History, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
The History of the Caribbean Public Health Association: Dr. Laura Lee Boodram, Head, Vector Borne Diseases Unit, The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)
MID-DAY VIDEO PRESENTATION: THE CARIBBEAN CORONA CHRONICLES (Trinbagonian Stories)
1:30am-3:00pm EC/ (12:30am-2:00pm JA)
ROUNDTABLE 2: THE CORONA LOCKDOWN AND HISTORICAL SCHOLARSHIP: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
This roundtable will bring together History teachers, researchers and archivists to discuss the impact of the Corona Virus lockdown on the discipline of History.
Chair: Dr. Gelien Matthews, Lecturer, Department of History, The UWI, St. Augustine
Ms. Avril Belfon, Government Archivist, The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago
Dr. Karen Eccles, Librarian, The Alma Jordan Library, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Dr. Michael Toussaint, Lecturer, The Department of History, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Dr. Aakeil Murray, Lecturer, The Department of History, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Ms. Anne’el Bain, PhD Candidate, The Department of History, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
FRIDAY 26TH MARCH 2021 TRADITIONAL MEDICAL PRACTICES IN THE CARIBBEAN
9:30am 11:00am EC / (8:30am 10 a.m. JA)
ROUNDTABLE 3: FOLK/BUSH MEDICINE
This Roundtable will bring together practitioners of various bush medicine and folk medicine traditions from the Caribbean to discuss the impact of traditional medicine on our societies.
Chair: Dr. Sherry-Ann Singh, Head, The Department of History, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
His Excellency Arun Kumar Sahu, High Commissioner of India
Dr. Jahlani Niaah, Coordinator Rastafari Studies Centre and Ganja Projects, The University of the West Indies, Mona
Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez, The Santa Rosa First People's Community Dr. Anthony Richards, Consultant in biosecurity, biosafety, bioprospecting (Food & Biotechnology Management)
MID-DAY VIDEO PRESENTATION: THE CARIBBEAN CORONA CHRONICLES (Trinbagonian Stories)
Closing Remarks: Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, Chair of History Fest Committee