Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has cautioned that Caribbean nations risk being reduced to pawns in the global race toward digitization if they become distracted by comfort and social media diversions rather than focusing on shared resilience and unity.
Speaking at the official launch of CARIFESTA XV in Bridgetown, Mottley urged the region to resist complacency, warning that shallow information consumption and digital dependency could undermine collective responsibility and weaken Caribbean sovereignty.
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“Our people have the ability to rise above it. Our history requires it of us,” Mottley told the audience at the event, titled “Big Conversations – Big Talk. Nuff Action.” “We know what has happened in the past, but we must not be lured, as Eve was in the Bible, into a sense of satisfaction and comfort such that we forget the common mission and approach that requires all of us together.”
Her remarks framed the festival’s broader theme, “The Idea of Caribbean Civilization: Real Change, Real Sustainability,” which brings together artists, writers, performers, and thinkers to reflect on the region’s cultural identity and contemporary challenges.
Mottley has consistently highlighted the risks of external digital control and has called for greater digital sovereignty across the Caribbean. Without careful management, she warned, global platforms and surface-level engagement could overwhelm thoughtful debate and erode regional solidarity.
The Prime Minister tied her message to history, noting that the Caribbean has survived centuries of outside domination and must not slip into new dependencies disguised as convenience or entertainment. CARIFESTA, she said, was the appropriate stage to reinforce that unity is not only cultural but also political and strategic.
Her comments were widely interpreted as both a cultural and political rallying cry, urging Caribbean leaders and citizens alike to strengthen their collective focus on building a sustainable and resilient regional civilization in the face of global pressures.
