Interior of Great Exhibition 1851. (Illustration courtesy of Miami University Libraries)
The Bahamas is set to be a focal point at the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The fair focuses on design, innovation and development, as well as culture. It has its roots in a legacy established centuries ago, when it was still acceptable to observe the curiosities of the unknown world on exhibit, as most persons did not travel to such far-off lands.
In the 19th century, as we well know, there was no Internet, so the only information gathered about other places was from people who had travelled there and were eye witnesses to the oddities, according to them, of those exotic lands. Expo 2020 will, however, focus on opportunity, mobility, and sustainability. It wants to explore the future and see how young people view the world.
Of course, the world we know today will no longer be this way in 20 years, or even in 10, so we must begin to grapple with physical change as well as psychological change. For example, we in The Bahamas must adapt to climate change because, if we choose not to, we will simply be submerged. How will we meet this demand?
Non-resident Ambassador of The Bahamas to Qatar Tony Joudi is encouraging Bahamian participation in this event of research, innovation, and design. Along with architect Michael Diggiss and a group of architecture and art students from the College of the Bahamas - soon to be University of the Bahamas - are addressing the call for proposals to participate in the Expo. This is an opportunity for young Bahamians and The Bahamas to shine and to move out of an antiquated development paradigm that creates a dual reality: a reality for visitors and another for inner-city dwellers. Innovation is essential to change the way we see development and how we address our currently unsustainable models.
The first World's Fair, 'The Great Exhibition', was held in The Crystal Palace, London, in 1851 and drew crowds from far and wide. Organized by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, the event set the stage of all the novelties that one could conceive, but had only ever perhaps experienced through literature. It was hugely successful and paved the way for a line of internationally-renowned events that occurred every 4-6 years. One of the large presenters at the Fair at Crystal Palace was the East India Company, with a project to encourage exploitation of the East by the West.
The Bahamas is set to be one of the countries that addresses its current deficits of futuristic vision by embracing the challenges set out by the call. The theme is "Connecting minds, creating the future", which is precisely what we need to do. We have to break out of the prison of 20th century thinking in the fast-changing, globalized 21st century world.
The world has changed as a result of globalization, which has drawn economies together, allowed capital and information to move easily and quickly, but not so much for the mobility of people. Expo 2020 is about culture, about ideas, connecting minds and bodies but under very different realities. The sub-themes of the expo are:
+ Opportunity unlocks the potential within individuals and communities to shape a better future; ?it encompasses areas such as education, employment, new industries, financial capital and governance.
+ Mobility focuses on smarter and more productive movement of people, goods, and ideas, tackling areas such as transportation, travel and exploration, personal mobility, logistics and digital connectivity.
+ Sustainability explores the notion of living in balance with our planet. As such, this subtheme encompasses the innovations and practices around protecting our ecosystems, effectively managing resources, and designing environments as well as economic systems to mitigate climate change and create lasting benefits.
As an archipelagic nation that is extremely challenged by limited means of transportation, a national airline that is trudging along with a lack of vision and the inability to address the reality it functions within, a paradigm shift is needed.
The islands lie below sea level and are susceptible to hurricanes, as Joaquin showed us. This is a serious geographic challenge. Moreover, with a culture of people moving from island to island, and from island to continent - with at least 60 percent of the population being drawn away by education and employment opportunities - we must address these outward flows that negatively impact the culture.
Given the country's membership in the World Trade Organisation, we must also celebrate the inward flow of peoples and trends, which culturally alter The Bahamas. We have said that we will eliminate barriers to all foreign goods and services; this free trade changes our habits and modifies our connection to the land.
As a nation, we have the opportunity to develop our mental capacity and as such our human capital. This is essential for any developing country that wishes to succeed in the future. We have a large population of young people who are woefully underprepared for the present demands of the global economy, and so much work needs to be done to grow opportunities and investment in sustainable futures for them.
The World's Fair--although historically problematic based on the representation of exotic and inferior far-off land--has changed its scope and moved its model into the 21st century. We must ask then, how can we make ourselves sustainable? How can we survive hurricanes of increasing ferocity and frequency on islands that are barely at sea level and so face erasure from tidal changes and storm surges? The government often talks about sustainability, but little is actively done about it. We run the very real risk, as a people, of disappearing. The people may not be totally wiped out, but the space or place where we live may be destroyed, and with that, an entire population facing the threat of displacement.
This phenomenon has been historically documented. In the past, people were moved from their homes due to political and economic upheaval. Edward Said addresses this poignantly in his memoir Out of Place (1999), where he explores the displacement he experienced as a result of the erasure of Palestine through the creation of Israel. Natural and war-provoked disasters have caused and continue to instigate the movement of people, creating refugee crises not forgetting the millions of Syrian refugees that are now nomadic, nationless scattered across Europe, the Middle East, and The Americas.
Expo 2020 provides an opportunity to innovate, to research, to address the serious problems we face as a nation and to mitigate against them through cultural adaptation.
The Bahamas' participation blossomed from an installation on the grounds of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas as a part of the annual art tour and festival Transforming Spaces 2014. A group of COB students created a sustainable house that used natural material adapted to the local environment. As architects like Jackson Burnside encouraged, we must build to suit our tropical world; we do not live in a temperate climate where windows can be sealed shut, and there is no natural airflow.
The NAGB continues to support these projects, such as by showcasing the ongoing collaborative project - between Harvard Graduate School of Design, the government of The Bahamas and The Bahamas National Trust - turn exhibition, 'A Sustainable Future for Exuma: A Traveling Toolbox'. The exhibition presents strategies produced in thinking through ways for us to live sustainably, to live within our means, and to live as socially and environmentally conscious global citizens.
Expo 2020 will have us a moment to embrace the opportunities to create, innovate and adapt to a changing world reality. This chance that offers financial support to rethink our living and make our culture resilient enough to survive the imminent changes and threats. These are opportunities.
'A Sustainable Future for Exuma: A Traveling Toolbox' will be on view at the National Gallery of the Bahamas through October 30. The gallery is open on Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m to 5 p.m and on Sunday from 12 p.m to 5 p.m, and is free to all Bahamians on Sundays.
Dr. Ian Bethell-Bennett
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
