Excerpt from nationalgeographic.com
I’ve had a relationship with water since before I was born.
As a young child at a barrier island off the coast of southern New Jersey, my father threw me into the cold open waters of the Atlantic, an exercise for me to find my bearings inside the waves. Watching intently, cautiously, he repeated the words that Papa, my grandfather, spoke to him: The ocean is like anything in life; Learn it’s rhythm and you’ll not only flow with it, you won’t have to work so hard to enjoy it.
My father is a sixth-generation descendant of Barbudan people. I am a seventh.
The skill of navigation, the art of catching fish, understanding the meaning of the temperature and color of the water, and so much more has been passed down to me and others through our people. And being connected to this independent, self-governing Black community, having been immersed in this culture, has been central to my identity as an African of the Americas.
It’s not surprising if you’ve not heard of Barbuda: this small, 62 square-mile island in the eastern Caribbean is the less known half of a twin island State that, along with Antigua, gained independence from England in 1981
Island Innovation is a social enterprise and digital media company at the intersection of sustainable development and communications, offering specialised services across various sectors. We bring together the private sector, government, utilities, NGOs and universities to advance innovation for sustainability and prosperity in islands worldwide.
