PRESS STATEMENT

With the upcoming coronation of a new British monarch, The University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus will explore the case for Republicanism in the Caribbean in the next edition of its Public Advocacy series. The April edition of the series will take place on Monday, April 24, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. with the topic: “To Be or Not to Be: The Case for Republicanism.”

This month’s speakers at the campus’ Public Advocacy Series will be Ambassador Dorbrene O’Marde, Ambassador Anthony Hylton and Dr. Kristina Hinds. The panel brings together a wide range of experienced individuals in the areas of governance, politics, and reparatory justice.

Ambassador Dorbrene O’Marde is one of the vice chairs of the CARICOM Reparations Commission and chairperson of the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission.

Ambassador Anthony Hylton is a Member of Parliament in Jamaica for the constituency of Saint Andrew West and was recently appointed to the Constitution Reform Committee of Jamaica, which is in the process of reforming the country’s constitution, including a review of its head of state.

Dr. Kristina Hinds is a Senior Lecturer in Political Science and Head of the Department of Government, Sociology, Social Work and Psychology at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus. Dr. Hinds was sworn into the Senate of Barbados as an Independent Senator in April 2022.

This month’s series will conclude the 2022/2023 series which has explored politics and policies related to Antigua and Barbuda and the wider Caribbean. The series will end with this exciting topic as several of the contributing countries of The UWI remain constitutional monarchies and are in the process of discussing constitutional reform, including replacing the British monarchy.

The virtual event takes place on Monday, April 24, 2023, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Caribbean time). Opening remarks will be delivered by Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, Professor Densil Williams and followed by the discussion with the panel. Participants will be able to pose questions directly to the speakers during the discussion segment. Persons can register online at the campus’ website: https://fiveislands.uwi.edu/publicadvocacyseries

The Five Islands Campus looks forward to a robust discussion as persons join the series for this exciting subject.