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20th
Feburary 2010
Rex Nettleford
Endowment Fund to benefit Caribbean students
 As
a lasting tribute to the life and work of the
late Vice-Chancellor Emeritus, Professor The
Honourable Rex Nettleford, the University of
the West Indies has announced its intention
to establish ‘The Rex Nettleford Foundation
for Caribbean Cultural and Social Studies’.
The objective of the Foundation is to create
an Endowment Fund, the proceeds of which will
be used to support the research of exceptional
postgraduate students and fellows in areas reflecting
the breadth of Professor Nettleford’s
own contributions to Caribbean development,
whether in the arts, history, politics or culture
of the Caribbean region.
The realm of the creative imagination was the
focus of Nettleford’s quest to carve out
a space in the ambiguous and often chaotic multicultural
reality of the Caribbean for self–appropriation,
self-expression (smaddification) and renewal
of the human spirit. The ‘Cultural Studies
Initiative’ which he founded at the UWI
was his way of cultivating new generations of
students devoted to the exploration of the creative
imagination. His vision for cultural studies
embraced all the so-called disciplines, cutting
across the arts, the natural, social and medical
sciences.
Gifts from individuals and corporations throughout
the Caribbean and Diaspora are therefore being
solicited to fund this Foundation. In addition
to postgraduate studies and research, it is
envisaged that the Foundation will eventually
finance the establishment of an endowed Chair
in Caribbean Cultural and Social Studies. Until
the Rex Nettleford Foundation is legally established,
gifts and contributions will be accepted through
the UWI Regional Endowment Fund that was created
in 2008 on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary
of The University of the West Indies.
A number of prominent individuals have already
lent their support to this initiative, including
the Chancellor, Sir George Alleyne, Chancellor
Emeritus Sir Shridath Ramphal, The Most Honourable
P.J. Patterson, Vice Chancellor Emeritus Sir
Alister McIntyre, Dr Cezley Sampson and Mr Karl
Rodney (publisher and CEO of Carib News in New
York). The initial target is to reach a total
of US$5 million over a period of two years.
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Professor the
Hon. Rex Nettleford was laid to rest on Tuesday,
February 16 after a funeral service in the
University Chapel, Mona Campus, Jamaica. Preceded
by musical tributes by the University Singers
and the Singers of the National Dance Theatre
Company, Professor Nettleford was accorded
an official funeral by the Government of Jamaica
and business was suspended in Parliament on
Tuesday afternoon to accommodate tributes
to him from members.
Later that evening, the National Dance Theatre
Company (NDTC) of which Professor Nettleford
was a founding member, paid their tribute
to him at the Little Theatre in Kingston Jamaica
and on Thursday, February 25 the UWI, Mona
will host an evening of tributes and cultural
items to be held in the Oriental Gardens,
starting at 5.30 p.m.
Meanwhile, in tribute to Prof. Nettleford,
the University of the West Indies Open Campus
St Lucia has set up a small display at the
Open Campus Library and has made a condolence
book available to the public for signature.
Her Excellency the Governor General Dame Pearlette
Louisy was the first to sign the book, referring
to Prof. Nettleford as “a self-assured
man striding across the Caribbean stage with
poise and pride in his Caribbean-ness, restoring
some of the dignity and confidence we as people
had long suppressed, helping us see ourselves
for the people we are, and for the contribution
we have made to world civilization”.
The Honourable Prime Minister, Honourable
Speaker of the House of Assembly and other
members of parliament also expressed condolences.
Members of the public are encouraged to pay
tribute to this Caribbean giant, by signing
the condolence book which remains available
to St. Lucians at the UWI Open Campus library
until February 23rd, 2010.
(Happy Independence Day to all Saint Lucians
from the UWI community!)
Discuss
Story
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