It is a pleasure and honour to welcome to the BIM November issue a contribution by The Right Honourable Mia Amor Mottley M.P; Q.C., our first female Prime Minister of Barbados. Even as we extend this welcome to her, we sadly bid farewell to the late Prime Minister Owen Arthur who was instrumental in reviving this iconic magazine in 2007. We think it fitting that this issue should be dedicated to his memory.
It is inescapably a matter of importance that two Heads of Government have so publicly embraced this literary publication: BIM: Arts for the 2st Century. I believe that in so doing, they have affirmed their belief in the legacy of this seventy-eight year old publication; its place in the literary history of Barbados and the wider Caribbean; their faith in the creative expressions of writers of the Caribbean and its diaspora, as well as the recognition that the conversations the islands share among themselves through their stories, poems, essays and other writings are in themselves an invaluable expression of Caribbean integration.
It is certainly a great joy of mine, and a reaffirmation of the purpose and value of BIM, to receive submissions from all over the region and its diaspora. For example, the countries represented in this one issue in addition to Barbados, are Trinidad, Haiti, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Jamaica, St. Maarten, Dominica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Canada and USA; all with a wide variety of styles and expressions even as they share a common Caribbean identity.
While the BIM magazine enjoys a significantly long life, its editorial team ensures that its content is contemporary, reflecting our ever-changing world. Our themes in this issue, Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter reflect this reality.
But something else is new! For the very first time, we are introducing original musical compositions as part of the magazine’s content. Readers will be entertained
in this issue by a jazzy piece entitled “Still There,” its lyrics written by Linda M. Deane,
a regular contributor to BIM. Deane Days Music is the producer.
In a similar innovative vein, we will be inviting submissions of original short films for future issues. BIM recognizes that with its online platform, creative expression is limitless. The Caribbean, like the rest of the world, is now virtually without borders.
On behalf of the Board of Management, the Editorial Committee of BIM: Arts for the 21st Century and all its contributors, let me welcome again the Right Honourable Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley. We believe that under her patronage, the BIM legacy is assured for future generations of writers and for all citizens of the world.
Esther Phillips - Editor