Dr Karl Dawson praised the VI Studies programme of the HLSCC following a lecture held at the college last evening. Photo: VINO

Dr. ChenziRa Davis Kahina makes a point following the lecture held at the college. Photo: VINO

Following a historical lecture given by Dr Angel Smith of the Virgin Islands Studies Department of the HLSCC, Dr Dawson said, “The Virgin Islands Studies Programme in itself… is one of the most significant undertakings of the college.”

He explained that even though part of the goal of the Programme is education and preparing persons to take up various roles in society and understanding themselves, the aspect of understanding one’s self also includes understanding ourselves as Virgin Islanders.

Dr Dawson said it was important to "dig a bit" and to collaborate in order to achieve this result. The programme also allows participants to find answers to economic, environmental and sociological questions, in addition to the historical ones expressed by Dr Smith.

The President also expressed the hope that the college would be able to invite persons with the requisite expertise to explore various aspects of life to produce records and share with the community as part of the Programme.

Dr Charles Wheatley, Chairman of the Board of the HLSCC, was also in high praise of the Programme.

Dr. Smith is the Director of Virgin Islands Studies at HLSCC and a graduate of Hull University, where he completed a Doctoral thesis entitled ‘An Anatomy of a Slave Society in Transition: The Virgin Islands 1807-1864’. His research was funded entirely by the Government of the Virgin Islands.

The lecture held at the HLSCC even managed to draw participants from as far as St Croix, USVI.

Dr. ChenziRa Davis Kahina, the Director of the Virgin Islands Caribbean Cultural Centre at the University of the Virgin Islands, said she was pleased to be able to hear Dr Smith articulate a significant amount of information of what transpired throughout the Virgin Islands and the connection it has to international affairs, many of which were still present in the community today.

Dr Kahina stated that the type of discourse was instrumental in adding to the body of knowledge within Caribbean Studies. “I think all of us in this room are pretty cognisant of the fact that Caribbean Studies, black studies, Africana Studies… everything indigenous that has to do with us, has been pretty much marginalised in most institutions globally,” Dr Kahina said.

She encouraged Dr Smith to find as many networks as possible to bring information similar to that revealed in the lecture to others outside of the Virgin Islands.

“I know everything that you’ve said that I’ve heard, I’m going to definitely take it to our scholars and hopefully be able to invite you to come and share this type of information because we do not get an opportunity to have people share with this type of scientific, well researched background… for that you definitely should be commended, I’m really pleased by that,” she said.

Dr Smith said he looked forward to the future and an opportunity to be able to do this at the HLSCC and noted that this was his first opportunity to be able to share this type of information.

“It’s fascinating for me and I hope that people find it interesting because I found it interesting,” he said of his research, “it’s stuff that we never really paid much attention to so I’m hoping that we can use this forum and other forums to be able to share that information.”