Tag: St Lucia

See Something, Say Something … Do Something

Posted on March 23, 2017 in Ethos, Government, Locations, Social

The conventional wisdom – advice to the public – for counter-terrorism is “See Something, Say Something”.

For all innocent victims, a 3rd step would be greatly appreciated, though not recommended, it is truly beneficial if that advice can be extended to “See Something, Say Something, Do Something”.

This was definitely the experience recently in the Caribbean island-state of St. Lucia when a couple of tourists were accosted-mugged by a crook-bully-nefarious-character and people in the general public came to their aid. See the story here:

Title: Citizens arrest man who attacks visitor
CU Blog - See Something, Say Something ... Do Something - Photo 1Concerned citizens today arrested a man who attacked a visitor on Jeremie Street near the Castries market, according to an eyewitness report.

The eyewitness told the Times that the incident occurred at around noon.

It is reported that the female visitor was in the company of her husband when she was attacked by a man, said to be in his thirties, in an apparent robbery attempt.

According to the eyewitness, a local man who witnessed the incident intervened and grabbed hold of the attacker who managed to free himself and flee.

However, according to the eyewitness, other citizens gave chase and eventually held the attacker.

The eyewitness said he was part of the group that effected the arrest and eventually handed the attacker over to the police.

Source: Saint Lucia Times Daily Newspaper – Posted 03-12-2017; retrieved 03/22/2017 from: https://stluciatimes.com/2017/03/12/citizens-arrest-man-who-attacks-visitor 

Photos of the Indoor & Outdoor Castries Market:

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CU Blog - See Something, Say Something ... Do Something - Photo 3

CU Blog - See Something, Say Something ... Do Something - Photo 7

CU Blog - See Something, Say Something ... Do Something - Photo 6

CU Blog - See Something, Say Something ... Do Something - Photo 5

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This foregoing article belies a serious point of concern: never under-estimate a robber; they may have a gun and can inflict harm on “wanna-be-heroes”. This is why the bravery of that “one local man” in the foregoing story is even more impressive. The unnamed heroes in this case extended protection with no regard for their own safety. But despite this benevolence, it is out of place for civilians to put themselves in harm’s way to ensure public safety. That is the job of the country’s security forces.

The book Go Lean … Caribbean explains the Social Contract as where citizens surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority of the State in exchange for protection of remaining natural and legal rights. The formal institutions of the State (Police and Militia) are expected to deliver the security solutions, not some Good Samaritans. So under this Social Contract, it is expected that the people will “See Something, Say Something”, and then the State’s security apparatus would “Do Something”.

There is dysfunction in the Caribbean in the delivery of the Social Contract. So there is the need for many of the best-practices here-in for Caribbean people and institutions to apply to improve this experience.

There is the need to reform and transform the societal engines, the economic, security and governing eco-systems. The Go Lean book (Page 23) details many economic empowerments; and then makes this revelation:

… with the emergence of new economic engines, “bad actors” will also emerge thereafter to exploit the opportunities, with good, bad and evil intent.

This roadmap for Caribbean integration declares that peace, security and public safety is tantamount to economic prosperity. This is why an advocacy for the Greater Good must be championed as a community ethos. A prime precept is that it is “better to know than to not know” – this implies that privacy is secondary to security. A secondary precept is that bad things will happen to good people and so the community needs to be prepared to contend with the risks that can imperil the homeland.

The book Go Lean … Caribbean serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). The branding Trade Federation emphasizes the economic mandate of the CU; but there must also be a security apparatus enveloping the economic engines. Tourism is the primary economic driver in the region. So muggings-robberies of tourists are unbecoming. The communities must mitigate the risks and assuage all threats against tourists. What strategies, tactics and implementations does the Go Lean/CU roadmap envision for this quest? Consider this sample:

Community Ethos – Security Principles Page 22
Ways to Improve Sharing – Mobile Command Centers Page 35
Security Initiatives at Start-up Page 103
Ways to Impact Justice Page 177
Ways to Reduce Crime Page 178
Ways to Improve for Gun Control Page 179
Ways to Improve Homeland Security Page 180
Ways to Mitigate Terrorism – Bullying Page 181
Ways to Improve Intelligence Gathering & Analysis Page 182
Ways to Improve Animal Husbandry – Security Dogs et al Page 185
Ways to Enhance Tourism – Tourist Hate Crimes Sentences Page 190
Ways to Impact the Prison-Industrial Complex Page 211

The CU‘s efforts will be supplemental to the individual member-states, like St. Lucia in the foregoing news story. These states will deputize the CU‘s security agencies – i.e. CariPol and the Naval Authority – to aid-abet the police and military forces to better deliver on the security mandates in the Social Contract. This intent was among the motivation for the Go Lean book in the first place. This is related as the Prime Directives, with these 3 statements:

  • Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy and create new jobs.
  • Establishment of a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic engines and mitigate internal and external threats.
  • Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines.

The purpose of these prime directives is to elevate Caribbean society. We cannot do this alone. The challenges befalling the Caribbean region are too big for any one member-state alone. We have an interdependence within the region. See these statements from the formal Declaration of Interdependence, at the start of the book (Page 12):

x. Whereas we are surrounded and allied to nations of larger proportions in land mass, populations, and treasuries, elements in their societies may have ill-intent in their pursuits, at the expense of the safety and security of our citizens. We must therefore appoint “new guards” to ensure our public safety and threats against our society, both domestic and foreign. The Federation must employ the latest advances and best practices of criminology and penology to assuage continuous threats against public safety. The Federation must allow for facilitations of detention for convicted felons of federal crimes, and should over-build prisons to house trustees from other jurisdictions.

xvi. Whereas security of our homeland is inextricably linked to prosperity of the homeland, the economic and security interest of the region needs to be aligned under the same governance. Since economic crimes, including piracy and other forms of terrorism, can imperil the functioning of the wheels of commerce for all the citizenry, the accedence of this Federation must equip the security apparatus with the tools and techniques for predictive and proactive interdictions.

The Go Lean book provides exact details for this roadmap. Consider these points from Page 178 – headlines only here, except for #5 and #8 – from this section, entitled:

10 Ways to Remediate and Mitigate Crime

1 Lean-in for the Caribbean Single Market to leverage for Regional Threats
2 Deploy the Caribbean Police (CariPol)
3 Deploy a Regional Security Intelligence Bureau
4 Install an optimized Prison Industrial Complex
5 Equip local police with advanced technologies
The CU will provide grants to equip local police with advanced technologies, including video (dashboard cameras) and audio transmission, GPS tracking, and mobile computing systems to optimize community policing. The advanced systems also include anklet monitoring systems for non-violent offenders and suspects out on bail.
6 Provide Witness Protection at the Regional Level
7 Enable the Private Industry of First Responders and Bounty Hunters
8 Add Hate Crime Qualifiers on Sentencing
Criminal offences against “special” protected classes get extended sentences. This could include senior citizens, race-based crime, sexual biases, and even crimes against tourists, and the repatriates. Though not necessarily preventing crime, this provision sends the message to perpetrators that undermining the Greater Good is dealt with severely.
9 Roll-out a regional Youth Crime Awareness and Prevention
10 Reform the Dynamics of the Death Penalty – introduce Lethal Injection

Whatever the motivation for the crimes …

1. Need; 2. Greed; 3. Honor; 4. Justice; 5. Terrorism

… the Go Lean roadmap anticipates a forthright response and solution.

This point has been previously elaborated on in these prior blog-commentaries; see sample list here:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=10566 Funding the Caribbean Security Pact
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=10222 Waging a Successful War on Terrorism – (Junior Partner of ‘Bullying’)
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=9072 Securing the Homeland – On the Ground
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=7485 A Lesson in the History of Interpersonal Violence – Street Crimes
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=7179 SME Declaration: ‘Change Leaders in Crime Fight’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=5307 8th Violent Crime Warning to Bahamas Tourists
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=5002 Managing a ‘Clear and Present Danger’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=4308 911 Emergency Telephone Systems: Art, Science, Issues
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=3713 Model of Regional Border Control
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2782 Red Light Traffic Cameras: Art, Science, Issues
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1965 America’s Navy – 100 Percent – Model for Caribbean Regional Security
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1832 American Drug-arrested inmates to be deported – Look-out Caribbean
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1554 Status of Forces Agreement for Regional Security Pact
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1487 Here come the Drones … and the Concerns
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=535 Remembering and learning from Boston’s Terror Attack
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=392 Jamaica received World Bank funds to help in crime fight

The quest of the Go Lean movement is to protect the economic engines from any “bad actors”. These ones will always emerge; we must always be ready. This is the very essence of the Greater Good as a community ethos. This is a BIG motivation for the planners of this new Caribbean eco-system. The Go Lean book (Page 37) defines it as:

“… the greatest good to the greatest number of people which is the measure of right and wrong”. – Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)

This … Greater Good philosophy also synchronizes with a principle from the Bible (Judges Chapter 4:17-22) with the actions of Jael to save her village rather than give refuge to Canaanite Army Commander Sisera. Her actions were celebrated by the prophetess Deborah, and esteemed as an example of a godly woman executing judgment for the Greater Good, even though at the expense of one person.

Tourism, at present, is the primary economic driver that feeds the Caribbean communities in general and St. Lucia in particular. (See the promotion VIDEO in the Appendix below). We need to not undermine it with selfish, felonious actions by a few “bad actors” imperiling the livelihoods and well-being of the greater community.

So now imagine the foregoing scenario at the Castries Market with the Go Lean/CU empowerments in place:

Being prepared – the goal of the Go Lean/CU roadmap – helps us to make our Caribbean communities better places to live, work and play.  We urge everyone in the Caribbean to lean-in to this plan; if you see something, say something, and then do something; leaning-in will be doing something. 🙂

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

Sign the petition to lean-in for the roadmap for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation.

————–

Appendix VIDEO – St Lucia Top Ten Things To Do, by Donna Salerno Travel – https://youtu.be/ulNDWzJcRlE

Published on Nov 27, 2013 – St Lucia Top Ten Things To Do, is a tour of the most popular activities and highlights.
St. Lucia is the type of island that travelers dream about ~ a small, lush tropical gem that is still relatively unknown. In natural beauty, St. Lucia seems like an island plucked from the South Pacific and set down in the Caribbean.
Top Ten Things To Do on Vacation:
1) The Pitons
2) National Rain Forest
3) Sulphur Springs
4) Scuba and Snorkel
5) Jazz Festival
6) Pigeon Island National Park
7) Anse Chastanet Beach
8) Duty Free Shopping (i.e. Castries Market)
9) Horseback Riding on the Beach
10) Rodney Bay and Gros Islet

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Stay Home! Outreach to the Diaspora – Doubling-down on Failure

Posted on March 3, 2017 in Ethos, Government, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

How to survive being on fire? Stop-Drop-and-Roll.

What not to do? Dose yourself with alcohol. That would be ‘Doubling-down on Failure’.

This latter visual is the Caribbean dependence on their Diaspora.

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The Caribbean is in crisis – “on fire”; over 70% of college educated citizens flee the region, looking for better opportunities. This is the harsh reality. This is also an economic fact as many Caribbean states get 4 to 7 percent of their GDP as remittances back to the homeland from the Diaspora living abroad, mostly in North America and Western Europe. But a strategy to stimulate the remittance side of the Diaspora equation is dysfunctional. The community would do better to encourage 100 percent of their citizens economic output rather than just 4 to 7 percent.

This latter scenario is just ‘Doubling-down on Failure’. This is a losing proposition for the Caribbean – the Inter-American Development Bank reported that Caribbean member-states lose about 10 to 11 percent of GDP from emigration and spent cost of education on those expatriates. Focusing on remittance is just a bad strategy for Diaspora dynamics; rather the focus should be on reducing the Diaspora by dissuading future generations from leaving.

This is why the messaging in this VIDEO is so distressing. It is like the subtle message to the Caribbean population is that they need to leave their homeland, go get success and then please remember to invest in us afterwards. This is the jump-off-the-page thought of this address from the Prime Minister of St. Lucia last month. See here:

VIDEO – PM 38th Independence Message to Diaspora – https://youtu.be/R_eqKr32BQA

Published on Feb 4, 2017 – St. Lucia’s Prime Minister, the Honourable Allen M. Chastanet’s formal address to the Diaspora on the occasion of Independence Day 2017.
o  Category: News & Politics
o  License: Standard YouTube License

Say it ain’t so!

It is so unfortunate that the people in the Caribbean are beating down the doors to get out of their Caribbean homeland, to seek refuge in these places like the US, Canada and Western Europe. And yet it seems like the Chief Executive of this Caribbean country is encouraging more of it – there is a similar sentiment in the rest of the Caribbean member-states. As a result, we have such a sad state of affairs for our Caribbean eco-system as we are suffering from a bad record of societal abandonment. The reasons why people leave have been identified as “push and pull”:

“Push” refers to people who feel compelled to leave, to seek refuge in a foreign land. “Refuge” is an appropriate word; because of societal defects, many from the Caribbean must leave as refugees – think LGBT, Disability, Domestic-abuse, Medically-challenged – for their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. For these people, they are “on fire” and need to stop-drop-and-roll.

“Pull”, on the other hand refers to the lure of a more prosperous life abroad; many times our people are emigrating for economics solely.

If only we can mitigate these “push and pull” factors, then we can dissuade our people from leaving in the first place. If only we can go from ‘good to great‘ here in the Caribbean homeland. This would be the ideal. But this is not our reality. Considering the messaging from the current Prime Minister of St. Lucia, it is obvious that we cannot depend on the right roadmap to come from the region’s governance.

The alternate strategy being proposed here is to prosper where we’re planted in the Caribbean. But this goal requires heavy-lifting. It is easier said than done. This is the focus of the book Go Lean…Caribbean, to elevate the Caribbean economy so that there would be optimal opportunities at home and no need to supplant to another land.

One of the missions of the book Go Lean…Caribbean is to lower the “pull” attraction of life in foreign lands. This is part 3 of 3 in a series on “Why Caribbean people need to Stay Home“, positing that the “grass is not necessarily greener on the other side”; definitely not for the communities they leave behind. The complete series is as follows:

  1.  Stay Home! Remembering ‘High Noon’ and its Back-Story
  2.  Stay Home! Immigration Realities in the US
  3.  Stay Home! Outreach to the Diaspora – Doubling-down on Failure

From a community perspective, it would be better for Caribbean people to work to remediate the problems in their homeland, rather than flee and send monies back home. But it turns out that this true individual-wise as well. Research shows that it is more advantageous for individuals to invest in their homelands or in themselves (as in advanced education) than to do the heavy-lift of migrating abroad. It turns out this strategy is an Economic Fallacy, that first generation immigrants do not really prosper in their foreign lands – they only survive; it takes their next generation to really thrive. Consider this US example, they usually make less money than legacy Americans:

On average, most Caribbean immigrants obtain lawful permanent residence in the United States (also known as receiving a green card) through three main channels: They qualify as immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, through family-sponsored preferences, or as refugees and asylees. Compared to the total foreign-born population, Caribbean immigrants are less likely to be Limited English Proficient (LEP), but have lower educational attainment, lower median incomes, and higher poverty rates. – Migration Policy Institute, 2016.
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Then the problem with next generation success is that at that point in the timeline the stakeholders are not Diaspora anymore, their allegiance has shifted to their new homeland. We have so many immigrant experiences that relate this: Chinese, Italian, Irish, Cuban, etc.. Yes, the reality of Cubans in America is that many of their expatriates fled to exile hoping for a quick return. But now, by the second-and-third generations, their offspring really consider America as their home and Cuba as just their heritage. There will be no prospering back in Cuba.

So how do we in the Caribbean prosper where we are planted in the Caribbean? While this is a simple question (based on the Bible principle of Psalms 1:3), the answer is more complex.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. – New Living Translation

The book Go Lean…Caribbean concurs with this mission, to prosper where planted in the Caribbean. It serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the technocratic Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU) to do the heavy-lifting of optimizing the societal engines in the region. This Go Lean roadmap uses cutting-edge delivery of best practices to employ strategies, tactics and implementations to impact its prime directives; identified with the following 3 statements:

  • Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion & create 2.2 million new jobs.
  • Establishment of a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic engines.
  • Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines.

The successful execution of these directives will allow Caribbean stakeholders to prosper, while remaining as residents in their homeland. The Go Lean book seeks to optimize the entire Caribbean economic/security/governance eco-system to reach this goal. This vision is defined early in the book (Page 13 & 14) in the following pronouncements in the Declaration of Interdependence:

xix. Whereas our legacy in recent times is one of societal abandonment, it is imperative that incentives and encouragement be put in place to first dissuade the human flight, and then entice and welcome the return of our Diaspora back to our shores. This repatriation should be effected with the appropriate guards so as not to imperil the lives and securities of the repatriated citizens or the communities they inhabit. The right of repatriation is to be extended to any natural born citizens despite any previous naturalization to foreign sovereignties.

xxvi. Whereas the Caribbean region must have new jobs to empower the engines of the economy and create the income sources for prosperity, and encourage the next generation to forge their dreams right at home, the Federation must therefore foster the development of new industries… In addition, the Federation must invigorate the enterprises related to existing industries … – impacting the region with more jobs.

CU Blog - Outreach to Diaspora - Doubling-Down on Failure - Photo 3To be fair to the Prime Minister of St. Lucia, the Honourable Allen Chastanet, there is some concurrence to his contention, this Economic Fallacy; other PM’s in the region have made the same appeal. It is an assumption by many pundits in economic circles, though a minority opinion, that a country’s Diaspora community can be a great source for economic elevation. These pundits posit that the status quo in these developing countries would not lead to the sought-after elevation; it would take “new blood” and the Diaspora are considered candidates for bringing these 3 ingredients:

  • Trade
  • Investments
  • Skills and Knowledge Transfers

See the full report – www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/Diasporas-EconomicDevelopment.pdf – by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), an  independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington, DC dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. See the Executive Summary in the Photo here:

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(Click on Image to Enlarge)

This opinion is not shared by the movement behind the Go Lean book. The full MPI Report identifies countries where Diaspora outreach has yielded positive  results, like Peru, India and Somalia. A prime difference of these countries versus the Caribbean member-states is the National Sacrifice community ethos, it is undoubtedly missing in the Caribbean – member-states do not even have (work-free) holidays to honor the sacrifices of those that fought, bled and/or died for their country. Caribbean people normally do not show the same level of patriotism. Once Caribbean citizens leave their homeland, they rarely invest back in their ancestral homeland. They normally just send money back to their families. As for investment, they have better choices; think Wall Street.

In summary, the Caribbean Diaspora do not invest back in their homelands because they are not ready, willing nor able. This is the honest assessment of the Caribbean status quo. Thusly, an outreach to the Diaspora is doubling-down on failure!

The Go Lean book details features of assessments, community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to plant and exploit local opportunities in the Caribbean region. See this sample here:

Community Ethos – Deferred Gratification Page 21
Community Ethos – Economics Influence Choices Page 21
Community Ethos – Privacy versus Public Protection Page 23
Community Ethos – “Crap” Happens Page 23
Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Cooperatives Page 24
Community Ethos – Non-Government Organizations Page 25
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact Turn-Arounds Page 33
Community Ethos – Ways to Improve Sharing Page 35
Community Ethos – Ways to Promote Happiness Page 36
Community Ethos – Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Strategy – Vision – Confederate 30 Member-States Page 45
Strategy – Mission – Dissuade Next Generation from Emigrating Page 47
Strategy – Agents of Change – Globalization Page 57
Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy Page 64
Separation of Powers – Between Member-states -vs- CU Agencies Page 71
Implementation – Ways to Deliver Page 109
Planning – Ways to Model the EU Page 130
Planning – Ways to Make the Caribbean Better Page 131
Planning – Ways to Measure Progress Page 148
Advocacy – Ways to Grow the Economy Page 151
Advocacy – Ways to Create Jobs Page 152
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Cancer Page 157
Advocacy – Ways to Better Manage the Social Contract Page 170
Advocacy – Ways to Foster Cooperatives Page 176
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Emergency Management – Deal with Disasters! Page 196
Advocacy – Ways to Preserve Caribbean Heritage Page 218
Appendix – Education and Economic Growth – Each add’l year = 10% more $$$ Page 258

Now is the time for all of the Caribbean, the people and governing institutions, to lean-in for the empowerments described here in this book Go Lean … Caribbean. It is time for the region to prosper right here where we are planted.

The Caribbean can succeed in this effort to improve the Caribbean as a place to live, work and play. The strategies and tactics of this quest have been detailed in many previous Go Lean blog-commentaries. Consider this sample:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=10585 Two Pies: Economic Plan for a New Caribbean
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=10043 Integration Plan for Greater Caribbean Prosperity
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=9595 Vision and Values for a ‘New’ Caribbean
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=8351 A 6-part Series on Economic Fallacies
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=7646 Going from ‘Good to Great’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=7221 Street naming for Martin Luther King unveils a ‘Climate of Hate’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=5733 Better than America? Yes, We Can!
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=5527 American Defects: Racism – Is It Over?

An outreach to successful citizens living in the Diaspora is futile; it says this is what you have to do – leave – to prosper and be successful.

The alternative messaging for elevating the Caribbean should be: “Let’s double-down on … ”

  • job creation …
  • incubators for entrepreneurship …
  • bridging the Digital Divide …
  • regional collaboration
  • e-Learning for At-Home education
  • and so on … (see Go Lean book Page 45 for full list of strategies).

This is what is needed to prosper where planted in the Caribbean. We need a turnaround. It must start in the head (thoughts, visions, etc.), penetrate the heart (feelings, motivations, etc.) and then manifest in speech and actions.

To the Prime Minister of St Lucia and all the other Heads of Government in the Caribbean region: Do better!

We will help. We hereby urge you to lean-in to the Go Lean roadmap.

To the residents on St. Lucia and all the other Caribbean communities, we urge: Stay Home! The grass is not greener on the other side. The effort to impact any change is easier here in the Caribbean than abroad in some foreign country. 🙂

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

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Caribbean Roots: Cast of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’

Posted on February 25, 2017 in Ethos, Industries, Social

Go Lean Commentary

For the generation born between 1980 and 2000 – Millennials – this TV show is an icon of their generation:

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

It was a situation comedy (sit-com) with laughter, hip-hop music, urban cool lifestyle, family values and thought-provoking drama. This show was formative for all demographics of this generation – White and the Black-and-Brown –  but most people do not realize that a large number of the cast members had Caribbean roots.

We are so proud!

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The movement behind the book Go Lean … Caribbean recognizes the significance of this art-form: sit-com television. On a consistent basis, audiences tuned into this show for entertainment and walked away with enlightenment as well – average ratings were 13 – 14 million viewers. They were constantly exposed to an affluent African-American household with an intact family structure: father, mother, and compliant children navigating a changing world. That was a different perspective – see Image Awards details in the Appendix below – compared to the realities of Black America and the pervasive media portrayals.

The show was not a docu-drama of “Black versus White America”, though many times, plotlines covered these dynamics. In general the storylines addressed teenage angst, but many plotlines addressed the family’s affluence versus working class families; this exposes a familiar rift in the Black community with passionate advocates for a Talented Tenth versus a ‘Power to the People’ contingent. See these encyclopedic details and VIDEO of the show here:

Title: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

CU Blog - Caribbean Roots - Cast of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - Photo 0The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his wealthy aunt and uncle in their Bel Air mansion after getting into a fight on a local basketball court. In the series, his lifestyle often clashes with the lifestyle of his relatives in Bel Air. The series ran for six seasons and aired 148 episodes.[1][2]

Starring Cast

 Will Smith as Will “The Fresh Prince” Smith
James Avery as Philip Banks
Janet Hubert-Whitten as Vivian Banks (1st)
Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton Banks
Karyn Parsons as Hilary Banks
Tatyana M. Ali as Ashley Banks
Joseph Marcell as Geoffrey The Butler
Daphne Maxwell Reid as Vivian Banks (2nd)
Ross Bagley as Nicholas “Nicky” Banks (Seasons 5 & 6 only)

Development
In December 1989, NBC approached Will Smith, a popular rapper during the late 1980s.[3] The pilot episode began taping on May 1, 1990.[4] Season 1 aired in July 1990 and ended in March 1991. The series finale was taped on Thursday, March 21, 1996.[5][6]

The theme song was written and performed by Smith under his rap stage name, The Fresh Prince. The music was composed by QDIII (Quincy Jones III), who is credited with Smith at the end of each episode.

The music often used to bridge scenes together during the show is based on a similar chord structure. The full version of the theme song was used unedited in the first three episodes. The full length version, which is 2:52, was included on Will Smith’s Greatest Hits album and attributed to him only, as well as DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince in 1998. A 3:23 version was released in the Netherlands in 1992, reaching #3 on the charts.

In the second season, the kitchen and living room sets were rebuilt much larger with a more contemporary style (as opposed to the much more formal style of the first season), and were connected directly by an archway, allowing scenes to be shot continuously between the sets.

Plot
The theme song and opening sequence set the premise of the show. Will Smith is a street-smart teenager, born and raised in West Philadelphia. While playing basketball, Will misses a shot and the ball hits a group of people, causing a confrontation that frightens his mother, who sends him to live with his aunt and uncle in the town of Bel Air, Los Angeles.

He flies from Philadelphia to Los Angeles on a one-way ticket in first class. He then whistles for a taxi that has dice in the reflection screen and the word “FRESH” on its vanity plates. Will’s working class background ends up clashing in various humorous ways with the upper class, “bourgeois” world of the Banks family – Will’s uncle Phil and aunt Vivian and their children, Will’s cousins Hilary, Carlton, and Ashley.
Source: Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia – Retrieved February 24, 2017 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fresh_Prince_of_Bel-Air

————

VIDEO – The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air Theme Song – https://youtu.be/1nCqRmx3Dnw

Published on Feb 3, 2013 – This was obviously the first episode.

The reference to The Fresh Prince refers to the hip-hop rapper Will Smith; the show revolved around him.

The Go Lean book identifies that music – even hip-hop – and the arts can greatly impact society; in addition to the entertainment value, there is also image and impression. People can override many false precepts with excellent deliveries and contributions from great role models.

The book Go Lean…Caribbean serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). This CU strives to advance Caribbean image and culture in the region and throughout the world, with these 3 prime directives:

  • Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy.
  • Establishment of a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic engines.
  • Improve Caribbean governance.

This roadmap recognizes that a prerequisite for advancing society is a change in the Caribbean “community ethos”;  (the underlying attitude/spirit/sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices). Early in the book, the contributions that culture (music, television, film, theater and dance) can make is pronounced as an ethos for the entire region to embrace, (opening Declaration of Interdependence – DOI – Pages 15) with this statement:

xxxii. Whereas the cultural arts and music of the region are germane to the quality of Caribbean life, and the international appreciation of Caribbean life, the Federation must implement the support systems to teach, encourage, incentivize, monetize and promote the related industries for arts and music in domestic and foreign markets. These endeavors will make the Caribbean a better place to live, work and play.

The Go Lean/CU asserts that change has now come to the Caribbean, collectively and for each of the 30 member-states. The people, institutions and governance of the region are all urged to “lean-in” to this roadmap for change. We know it is important to highlight the positive contributions of Caribbean people, even their descendants and legacies.

The great role models being considered here are the many cast members of this iconic TV show – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – who had Caribbean roots. We learn lessons from these great role models: lessons that are good, bad and ugly.

The cast members for consideration are:

  • Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton Banks
    This American-born actor has displayed many talents, beginning his career at the age of eight but securing his first TV sit-com on the series Silver Spoons at the age of 13; he is also accomplished as a television director, dancer, and show host. He was born in New York City to Trinidadian parents Michael and Joy Ribeiro (née De Leon) of Portuguese, Spanish and Afro-Trinidadian descent from Trinidad and Tobago. His mother was the daughter of Trinidadian Calypsonian the Roaring Lion, Rafael de Leon.[2][3]
  • Tatyana M. Ali as Ashley Banks
    This artist has excelled in her roles as an actress, model and R&B singer. She was born in New York to a mother of Afro-Panamanian[2][3] heritage and a father who is Indo-Trinidadian.[3] She began her acting career at the young age of six, starting as a regular child performer on Sesame Street starting in 1985. She has not stopped working in the entertainment industry, featuring acting and singing roles right up to the present day.
  • Joseph Marcell as Geoffrey The Butler
    This Saint Lucian-born British actor moved to the United Kingdom at the age of nine, grew up in South London, and still lives in that metropolitan area. He studied theatre and science at college, then took courses in speech and dance. As a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he appeared in productions of Othello and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has also appeared often on British television and in feature films.[2]

These artists have placed their signatures on the entertainment world – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air show delivered 148 episodes – notwithstanding their Caribbean heritage. This is among the ‘Good‘ lessons.

What is ‘Bad and Ugly‘ is how they have excelled in their crafts in the US and the UK as opposed to their ancestral homelands. Their parents left the islands for greater opportunities 50 – 70 years ago and despite the passage of time we still do not have any manifestations that would have allowed their artistic expressions in the Caribbean region.

What is sad is that most of the Caribbean Diaspora left their beloved homelands with some aspirations of returning some day. This is depicted in the Go Lean book with this quotation (Page 118):

The Bottom Line for the Caribbean Diaspora
The Caribbean is the best address in the world. However for over 50 years many Caribbean citizens left their island homes to find greater opportunity in foreign lands: USA, Canada and Europe. Though the “man was taken out of the island, the island was never taken out of the man”, and as such many of the Diaspora live in pockets with other Caribbean expatriates in their foreign homelands (i.e. Flatbush in Brooklyn, New York, USA). What’s more, their children, legacies, are still raised and bred with Caribbean values and culture. Many left initially with the intention of returning someday, but life, loves and livelihoods got in the way of a successful return. Worse, many tried to return and found that they were targets of crime and terrorism, mandating that they abandon all hopes and dreams of a successful repatriation. The CU therefore must allow for the repatriation of peoples of the Diaspora, in all classes of society, “the good, the bad and the ugly”.

We salute these artists from the TV show ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’. Great job; great performances and great portrayals. We accept that these artists are great Americans and Britons; they may never be grouped with Caribbean artists.

This is our loss.

May we do better with our next generation. We can and have done some good in the past; Caribbean people have impacted the art world (music and culture) right from their Caribbean homeland. Consider Caribbean musical icon, Bob Marley; he set a pathway for success for other generations of talented, inspirational and influential artists to follow. More artists of Caribbean heritage are sure to emerge to “impact the world” with their artistry. The planners for a new more opportunistic Caribbean – the Go Lean movement – are preparing for it, as specified in the same DOI – Page 13:

xxi. Whereas the preparation of our labor force can foster opportunities and dictate economic progress for current and future generations, the Federation must ensure that educational and job training opportunities are fully optimized for all residents of all member-states, with no partiality towards any gender or ethnic group. The Federation must recognize and facilitate excellence in many different fields of endeavor, including sciences, languages, arts, music and sports. This responsibility should be executed without incurring the risks of further human flight, as has been the past history.

The foregoing three artists should be proud of their executions; we are proud of their heritage and thusly have an affinity for their works. We acknowledge those ones from our past who left their Caribbean homelands for better opportunities in the world of entertainment and we know that there are “new” artists who are just waiting to be fostered throughout the Caribbean member-states. We salute these ones as our future, and pledge to do better. The following list details the community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to foster future entertainment options in the Caribbean:

Community Ethos – Ways to Foster Genius – All Artists Page 27
Community Ethos – Promote Intellectual Property Page 29
Community Ethos – Ways to Promote Happiness Page 36
Community Ethos – Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Strategy – Caribbean Vision Page 45
Tactical – Separation of Powers – Patents & Copyrights Page 78
Tactical – Separation of Powers – Culture Administration Page 81
Implementation – Ways to Impact Social Media Page 111
Advocacy – Ways to Make the Caribbean Better Page 131
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Hollywood Page 203
Advocacy – Ways to Impact the Diaspora Page 217
Advocacy – Ways to Preserve Caribbean Heritage Page 218
Advocacy – Ways to Improve the Arts Page 230
Advocacy – Ways to Promote Music Page 231

These foregoing artists – all good people in their own rite – have been impactful for their communities:

  • Alfonso Ribeiro has been front-and-center in charitable endeavors, exerting much time and resources in helping with children’s medical needs through his Shriners Hospital association.
  • Tatyana Ali has been very active politically, campaigning for “hope and change” with Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.[10][11] In 2012, she continued showing her support for the re-election campaign and other Democratic Party causes.[12]
  • Joseph Marcell devotes a lot of time, talent and treasuries to educational causes within the theater community.
    CU Blog - Caribbean Roots - Cast of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - Photo 2

These examples continue the theme of the impact of good role models in their community. We need, want and deserve more of this in the Caribbean. This thought has been presented many times in this commentary; consider these previous Go Lean blogs that identified other role models, from many cultures, with these submissions:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=10114 Esther Rolle – Caribbean Roots
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=9948 Sammy Davis, Jr. – Caribbean Roots
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=8724 Remembering Marcus Garvey: A Role Model; Still Relevant Today
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=8619 Clive Campbell – Jamaican Innovation for Hip Hop
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=8495 NBA Greatness and Caribbean Roots: Tim Duncan Retires
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=8328 YouTube Role Model with Caribbean Roots: ‘Tipsy Bartender’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=7682 Frederick Douglass: Role Model for a Single Cause
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=6593 Dr. Mobley – Role Model as a Business School Dean
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2726 Caribbean Role Model – Oscar De La Renta – RIP
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2297 The Black Contrast: Booker T Washington versus W.E.B. Du Bois
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1037 Role Model and Humanities Advocate – Maya Angelou – R.I.P.
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=866 Caribbean Musical Icon and Role Model: Bob Marley

The world is a better place, arts-wise, because of Caribbean contributions. Thank you to all past, present and future artists.

Just one more thing: Let’s make these contributions at home, from home; let’s prosper where we are planted.

This helps us to make our Caribbean homeland a better place to live, work and play. 🙂

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

————–

Appendix Title: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air‘s NAACP Image Awards

Outstanding Comedy Series

Nominated

 1997
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Won

 Alfonso Ribeiro 1996
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Nominated

 Will Smith 1997
Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress

Won

 Tatyana M. Ali 1997
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Nominated

 Janet Hubert-Whitten 1991
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Nominated

 Nia Long 1996
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Nominated

 Daphne Maxwell Reid 1996
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