President Leonel Fernandez is scheduled to speak at the opening of the 30th annual Caribbean Studies Association Conference, which will be attended by an estimated 350 delegates. Hundreds of Caribbean-oriented academics have registered for the event, as reported by Caribbean journalist John Collins. The theme of the conference is “Caribbean Cooperation in the Era of the Information Society” and how the region adapts to new technologies.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, in addition to President Fernandez and CSA president Emilio Pantojas Garcia (of the University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras), are Association of Caribbean States (ACS) Secretary General Ruben Silie, Chancellor of the UPR Rio Piedras Campus Gladys Escalona de Mota and Pablo Marinez, the Dominican Republic’s ambassador to Mexico.
Highlights of the conference are on Wednesday evening when the works of “Great Thinkers of the Caribbean” will be discussed. Among those to be honored are the late President Juan Bosch of the DR; Eric Williams, the first prime minister of Trinidad & Tobago and the father of that country’s independence; and Gordon K. Lewis, the late renowned UPR professor.
On Thursday the CSA will be honored by an address by Jose Miguel Insulza, the new Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS). Insulza, a minister in the Chilean government, conducted a tough campaign for the office against his main rival, the Mexican foreign minister. Journalist John Collins comments that the strong support from the English-speaking Caribbean and the Dominican Republic was a determining factor for Insulza’s victory. The DR chose to back Insulza once the Central American candidate had retired from the race.
The event opens at the V Centenario Inter Continental Hotel.