In our June 2023 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Communications Strategist, Liselle Yorke, and Tech Consultant, Amit Uttamchandani, the panel discusses: What does the new digital landscape mean for Caribbean fiction? e-Government, and the delivery of government services online in the Caribbean, and What will it take for the Caribbean to become a cashless society?

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Stitcher!

The extent to which we, as individuals, and the societies in which we live have been leveraging technology is a discussion that emerges regularly and often takes a variety of forms. Although we may all appreciate the power of ICT and the internet for example, and the ways in which it has transformed how we live and work, in the Caribbean region, if one is prepared to delve beneath the surface, there is often a disconnect between that appreciation and how we actually use technology.

In this month’s Community Chat, the above seems to be an underlying theme across the three topics discussed. In other words, to what degree are we being proactive to advance areas or issues that are (or should be) important to us?

 

Introducing our guests and the topics discussed

Liselle Yorke

Liselle Yorke is a mission-driven Communications Strategist with a deep commitment to sustainable solutions that benefit underserved communities. Based in the U.S., she has written about harnessing ICT for innovation in developing economies. She has 20 years of experience developing and executing communication strategies for non-profit organisations, with a particular focus on financial inclusion and social development.

Liselle has also consulted with and provided pro bono communications support to various organisations in the Washington, D.C. area, including the Institute of Caribbean Studies and the University of the West Indies Alumni Association. She earned her master’s degree in communications at Howard University and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of the West Indies.

 

 

Amit Uttamchandani

With over 15 years of experience in business and ICT-related roles, Amit Uttamchandani is an experienced Tech Consultant and is based in Barbados. He has worked across the Caribbean in various industries including technology, insurance, construction, hospitality, retail, manufacturing, telecommunications, government and education.

Amit is also a part-time Citizen Journalist and Data Analyst, and is the writer behind CaribbeanSignal.com, where he writes data-driven articles on topics that often are rarely discussed.

 

 

The topics discussed

  1. What does the new digital landscape mean for Caribbean fiction?  Digital technology has transformed the book publishing industry, expanding opportunities for authors to share their work and treating readers to fresh perspectives and narratives. In fact, during the pandemic U.S. book sales even grew. Although we don’t have similar data for Caribbean fiction, there could be similar potential for growth. We thus explore how Caribbean fiction authors are tapping into these opportunities and the challenges they still face to publish and market their books.
  • e-Government, and the delivery of government services online in the Caribbean. To varying degrees and for nearly 20 years, Caribbean Governments have been trying to advance electronic (e-)government, with arguably, limited success. With the pandemic, there was an expectation that e-government would have accelerated. Instead, the deficiencies became even more evident, and in some instances, there was a sense that governments had become less efficient than they had been before.
  • What will it take for the Caribbean to become a cashless society?  With the thrust towards digital currencies, national identification systems across the region, digital wallets, and digital forms of payment the Caribbean region seems to be moving towards becoming more cashless. However, that transition seems to be painfully slow, which suggests that there may be factors and concerns that have not been adequately addressed.  

 

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Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Images credit:  L Yorke;  A Uttamchandani; Andrea Piacquadio (Pexels); CardMapr.nl (Unsplash); Seven Shooter (Unsplash)

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support:  Mayra Bonilla Lopez