Chasing a Different Tomorrow: The Centre for Hybrid Studies
Some of the many African pieces located in the building
It is quite well known that research is influenced by population size, financial wellbeing, relevancy in the world conversation, technology and overall opportunity. It is for reasons like this that more developed countries, due to the sheer amount of people that can become interested in a particular topic and find opportunities to conduct their research due to the financial wealth of the country and its technology have far more research conducted than lesser developed countries. The Caribbean on a whole does not have these particular luxuries, whether it be a large population, popularity or opportunity, Barbados even less so. The Centre for Hybrid Studies intends to change that, aiming to not only improve the research culture in the country but also impart the understanding that true research is always fundamentally linked with multiple different fields.
A selection of books in the Ikel Tefari library which holds solely books penned by Caribbean authors
One of the rooms in the exposium dealing in particular with television and radio
First conceptualised and created in 2017 by Carmelia Alleyne who now acts as the Chair of the organization, the Centre for Hybrid Studies: Caribbean Culture, Science and Technology aims to be everything and anything as it pertains to hybridity. Indeed, it is important to acknowledge that a truly comprehensive understanding of any topic will require a blend of multiple different fields of study. For example, one cannot truly understand the prevalence of violent crime in the Caribbean without acknowledging the history of the region, its economies, gender inequality as well as its cultural norms and tradition. While the Centre is primarily a research institute, its penchant for hybridity does not end there. Balozi Alleyne succinctly expressed that they are interested and involved in anything that weaves academia and the rest of the world together. Indeed, she further explains that art and its facets cannot exist in a vacuum, separate from the culture. Therefore, whether this be through film-making via the (YAMM) program, seminars such as Drumming with the Masters (a cultural exchange of traditional drumming patterns between Afro-Venezuelan and Barbadian drummers), art exhibitions (where a new theme is presented every month), philosophy gatherings or holiday camps such as the Signal to Noise camp for children 8-16. The Centre intends to provide guidance and opportunity for art, culture, history and science to meld together.
Roland Murray explaining how magnets affected TV in the past in the Jacob’s Ladder room
In the Signal to Noise camp, we find another key feature of this organization; its focus on the youth. The Mabalozi program, from the Swahili word for ambassadors (balozi meaning ambassador, with the prefix ma- marking the plural form of the word) involves having teachers act as these ambassadors or balozi who do afro-centric work in schools.
Dissected telephone to give visitors a better understanding of the science behind the phone in the Jacob’s Ladder room
The exposium, a play on the words exhibition and museum is also a great opportunity for learning aimed at not only school children but anyone with an interest in learning. Under the informative guidance of the technical officer Roland Murray one can go on an interactive tour of the exhibits learning not only of the history of a topic in relation to Barbados, but also its future. The exposiums operate with specific themes, that way it can be an asset to teachers if they were to bring their students here. The current exposium is on telecommunications and provides a wondrous experience as you learn how telecommunications evolved in Barbados over the years in various forms: telegraph, fax, telephone, even computers and video games. There is a concerted effort to explain how these instruments were used in the past but to also inspire and encourage visitors to think critically about what advancement in telecommunications and science in general means for the individual and the country at large. Following this exposium is the the history of science and energy with a display in the Jacob’s Room.
As Dr. Deryck Murray, the director of the organization explains, the Centre for Hybrid Studies also serves to provide a link between undergraduate and graduate research. This includes introducing UWI students to individuals, resources and research that will be beneficial to young students and graduates. It will be possible to conduct your own research in exchange for give back hours as research associates. Different research pods will conduct research in different areas such as science, pedagogy, trade with Ghana, music, civil society and culture.
Image showing the high ceilings of the Spirit Bond
The building itself is another feature of the organization. The Spirit Bond’s name alone is quite explanatory, the first part Spirit refers to the alcohol that would be stored in this Bond, a type of warehouse operated by a private company under the supervision of the customs agency. This makes it one of the oldest buildings in the country. Located next to the careenage it provides quite a view which Carmelia Alleyne is indeed a fan of, citing that aspect as her favourite aspects of the building. Of course, this placement is no accident, after all this building was a warehouse for the storage of molasses, sugar and alcohol (spirits) during the sugar revolution, its high ceilings and large doors are features that allowed for the huge barrels to be stored in the building. Interestingly, the very building is constructed from the ballast bricks these English ships would offload in order to make room for their ill gotten products. These features allowed it to be converted to a mall however briefly, and fitting to the organization it now houses, there is a hybridity of both 18th century and modern styles. Truly there is no better place to house such a noble endeavour.
In conclusion, The Centre for Hybrid Studies: Caribbean Culture, Science and Technology serves as a potential vanguard in the process of change for the country and perhaps the region itself. As the Caribbean is a region uniquely vulnerable to external shocks including climate change, world economy, natural disasters and health disasters, the onus lies on us, the citizens of these countries to be innovative as our unique history and circumstances renders the help so often provided by first world countries and international institutions useless. The first step to doing this is by fostering a spirit of research within the youth of today which the organisation is well equipped to do.
Bibliography
C. Alleyne, interview by Akini Glasgow (Barbados, March 9, 2022)
D. Murray PhD, interview by Akini Glasgow (Barbados, March 9, 2022)
R. Murray, interview by Akini Glasgow (Barbados, March 9, 2022)