Barbados’ rum products will get major exposure at the upcoming Barbados Network Consultation (BNC) 2016, the 4th Diaspora Conference, which will take place from July 31 to August 5 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Speaking during a press conference today to launch the BNC at her Ministry, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean, explained that the idea was to create a rum café which would highlight the significance of the rum industry to this country and what it offers in terms of export opportunities.
Adding that Barbados was often called ‘the home of rum’, the Minister said that while Barbados was currently celebrating 50 years of Independence, the rum industry pre-dated Independence, and persons needed to fully appreciate and understand the role the industry had played in the development of this country.
Other highlights of the conference will include a Youth Career Showcase to be held on Wednesday, August 3. The Minister noted that this would be a highly interactive event, focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), as well as the arts.
Senator McClean also revealed the theme for this year’s BNC was One Nation, One Family – Celebrating 50 Years of Independence – Shaping Global Citizens. She pointed out that this theme was chosen as part of the brand for the consultation, which was One Nation One Family, and encompassed Barbadians who were on island, across the diaspora, had never left Barbados, or had left and returned.
“This year we are celebrating 50, and most importantly because it is a diaspora conference, a conference which brings us all together, it also is seeking to recognise a very special characteristic and a special goal which is to shape global citizens…Barbados has a very significant population outside of Barbados, significant in number, but also significant in its contribution to its adopted home.
The idea is to maintain close ties with all Barbadians…and to provide clear mechanisms through which Barbadians at home and abroad can engage each other and contribute to the ongoing development of Barbados,” she clarified.
The BNC is described by officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade as the premier conference for Barbadians, Barbadian descendants and friends of Barbados abroad and at home. It is expected to create opportunities to share information and ideas, for creative initiatives to be discussed, and for Barbadians, both at home and in the diaspora, to network.
Persons may go to the official website of the Barbados Network Consultation 2016 for further information on the conference or to register. Queries can be sent to bnc2016@foreign.gov.bb.
