Chapter 3 Introduction to Case Studies
3.2 Jamaica: Mapping and Mobilization
3.2.3 Jamaica and the Diaspora
Despite such an extensive political, economic and socio-ethnic history between Chinese and Jamaican nationals, diaspora engagement networks do not recognize the Jamaican population in China alongside those of the United States, Canada and Europe. Still, Jamaica’s efforts at diaspora networking, mapping and diaspora policy formation are worth discussing as it presents a framework that can be expanded regionally to suit the CARICOM-Taiwan context and larger regional proportions.
3.2.3 Jamaica and the Diaspora
Jamaica’s diaspora engagement policies and diaspora research have been considered as models worthy of adoption by other CARICOM states. Migration in Jamaica: A Country Profile is a report detailing migration patterns and characteristics of Jamaica’s inbound and outbound migration from as early as 1970 to as recent as 2010. Prepared in
collaboration with the International Organization of Migration office in Jamaica and the European Union, this document: (i) provides a detailed analysis of migration trends and traits, (ii) links this data analysis to its possible implications on national development (iii) uses this data to justify and improve migration policy frameworks that are of mutual benefits to the diaspora and the homeland22.
The thorough methods of data collection and analysis serve as models that can benefit the Caribbean Community. Data is not restricted to Jamaican migrants but includes an
equally detailed presentation of immigrants who have been in Jamaica for at least 1 year.
Labour migrants, asylum seekers, inbound tourists, foreign-born nationals with Jamaican citizenship, migrants from Commonwealth nations are some of the categories catered for, in addition to information of outbound migration on Jamaican nationals. Gender,
occupation and age have been acquired mostly from statistics bureaus and immigration
21 Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Jamaica, Culture and Education, http://jm.china-embassy.org/eng/zygx/whjy/t211231.htm
22 Migration in Jamaica: A Country Profile 2010, International Organization on Migration,
https://www.mapjadiaspora.iom.int/sites/all/documents/Migration%20in%20Jamaica%20-%20A%20Country%20Profile%202010.pdf
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The Mapping Project
The Jamaica Diaspora Mapping Project was an initiative started in 2013 aimed at serving two functions: (i) gathering relative information on the location, interests and skills of the diaspora and (ii) developing government capacities towards effectively engaging the diaspora. Migration records have been compiled since 1970s (Glennie and Chappell, 2010).
Funded by the IOM, the Jamaica Diaspora Project (or the Mapping Project) has been the first project of its kind to be implemented in Jamaica and continues to collect information throughout the diaspora. ‘MAPJADiaspora’ was created as an online platform for data collection via two survey instruments targeted at individual members of the diaspora and diaspora groups. Jamaica’s diaspora engagement movement has produced several
achievements in the area of diaspora affairs.
Information on diaspora groups, include membership, date of establishment, contact information, their contributions to Jamaica, information dissemination channels and annual calendar of events. Personal information is kept confidential, however statistics are updated and made available for viewing thus giving a visual representation of specific characteristics of the diaspora and most importantly the impact they are making towards Jamaica’s national development.
The Ministry of Foreign affairs and Foreign Trade has been instrumental in providing formal support to diaspora initiatives and in the development of diaspora policy.
Resources such as the Jamaica Diaspora Organization, the Jamaica Diaspora Institute have been created for widespread engagement of the Jamaica diaspora and have amassed repositories of diaspora resources, links to current events in Jamaica and in the respective regions
The respective diaspora organs have focused on collecting and collating information on
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the diaspora and connecting with diaspora groups among three main regions: Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Little information is available on the presence and contribution of the diaspora in the Asia-Pacific. This is where the CARICOM diaspora initiative can help to spur the need for countries like Jamaica to extend their outreach to their nationals in foreign countries. Platforms such as ‘MapJADiaspora’ serve as model for bringing the CARICOM diaspora in the Asia-Pacific together.
Supported by the various diplomatic missions, the online platform for the diaspora in the region can first be created so as to conduct diaspora mapping practices. Through this interactive channel, diaspora organizations can be recruited to aid in compiling databases on communities in their specific host counties and identify ways to better incorporate these communities towards the betterment of those in Asia and in their countries of origin. This platform can also serve as a way to educate individuals who have received scholarships or who have successfully participated in training workshops and seminars in the Asia-Pacific region to become more familiar with their new environments through accessing online testimonials, videos, cultural etiquette fact sheets, and introductory language materials.
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Chapter 4 Findings and Discussion
4.1 Survey
In an attempt to collect relevant data to support this thesis, a survey was conducted through social media (Facebook) from May 20th, 2015 to June 13th, 2015. The survey managed to amass a total of 30 respondents from five CARICOM countries. This sample size represents nearly 10% of the total population of CARICOM nationals in Taiwan according to the April 2015 census. The survey was a combination of open-ended and close-ended questions with the addition of a Likert scale (Appendix B).
Apart from collecting basic information on age, occupation, country of origin and county of residence, the survey also included questions which gauged the participants’ affinity with their home country and culture, how frequently they visited their respective countries, how often they interacted with Taiwanese local students, how often did they participate in cross-cultural events and how did they introduce local Taiwanese to the region and their countries of origin. Upon completion of the survey, participants were asked to take part in an email interview to provide additional comments on the diaspora’s role and ways to maximize its potential. Out of the 10 participants who stated their willingness to participate in the email interview, 3 submitted answers (Appendix C).
As predicted, the majority of participants claimed to be scholarship students, with most respondents falling between the 22-25 year age group. Most respondents stated that they had been in Taiwan for more than one year with the maximum length of time spent in Taiwan capped at over 5 years (Appendix B, Question 1, 2, 3).
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4.2 Interviews
From May 7, 2015 to May 23rd, 2015, five interviews were conducted. They consisted of face-to-face and Skype interviews. Interviews with Ambassador Cherie Nisbet of Belize and Ambassador Jasmine E. Huggins of Saint Kitts and Nevis were summarized from notes taken during scheduled appointments as audio recordings were politely declined.
The remaining interviews were audibly recorded and transcribed. The shortest interview was timed at over 42 minutes while the longest at nearly 90 minutes.
In addition to the presentation and breakdown of the supplementary case studies, the following findings were extracted and expounded upon for the purpose of discussion. The results of the surveys, interviews and supplementary case studies are purposely presented according to the key questions this thesis sought to answer.
The interviews conducted with Ambassadors of CARICOM states in Taiwan and the Director-General of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) supported the need for a united approach towards Taiwan. Viewpoints differed with regards to the actual influence of the diaspora in Taiwan due to its size and other limitations such as the inability to procure income for remittances. However, it was simultaneously admitted that the diaspora community in Taiwan plays a role through cultural exposure and the
experience garnered through their academic learning at their respective universities.
The Foundation of International Cooperation and Higher Education in Taiwan (FICHET) is an organization that seeks to attract international students abroad to study in Taiwan.
The Foundation operates on three main levels; government level, university level and student level. FICHET facilitates and promotes activities and contests that are primarily targeted to the international student community. Contests such as “Call for Stories” aim to understand the motivations for students to pursue an education in Taiwan. It is through these stories and other media such as video interviews that FICHET aims to reach out to potential international students abroad by using the student community already present within its borders. Participants in FICHET’s programs and contests are not exclusive.
Hence, these programs and competitions serve as a potential opportunity for more
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students from CARICOM countries to add to the milieu of shared experiences and motivations for studying in Taiwan.
The Quanta Culture and Education Foundation (QCEF) is a non-profit organization established in Taiwan in 1999 and serves to develop creative aptitude and critical thinking through the arts. Additionally, since 2013, this organization has become one of the bridges of culture across time and space; helping people living in the present to understand cultures from all over. Through Quanta’s Global Exchanges Division, programs such as Immerse in Creativity (promoting culture through art) and Cultural Ambassadors Program (whereby international students share their culture with Taiwan’s primary and secondary students), the Foundation’s success and outreach is growing, though admittedly still limited due to lack of other programs. The Cultural Ambassador’s program in particular, has been a channel for primary and secondary school students in Taiwan to learn about the world without leaving their classrooms. The program has also served as a means for Quanta to expand its partnerships with other schools (Appendix A).
Representatives from FICHET and QCEF emphasized the importance of developing a sense of cultural awareness among the Taiwanese population. Responses from both Foundations reiterated the fact that the Taiwanese local community is willing to learn about other cultures, but that the international community would need to take more initiative in reaching out to the Taiwanese. This statement perpetuates the need for enhanced and deepened diaspora involvement with the local Taiwanese communities (student communities in particular) in promoting the region’s culture and creating sustainable platforms for dialogue and cooperation. This is a task for the CARICOM student community in Taiwan. However, CARICOM should aim to employ strategies that will validate the existence of the diaspora and facilitate as well as support such efforts at engagement.
In answering the five key questions, it was intended for the findings to serve as criteria for the formation of a CARICOM diaspora initiative in the Asia-Pacific; with the
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diaspora in Taiwan as a pilot project. Discussion of these findings in relation to their corresponding questions, are presented below.
4.3 Discussion of Findings
(i)What tangible, mutual socio-economic benefits have such strategies produced in both the countries of origin and the host countries?
The social and economic benefits of diaspora diplomacy and diaspora engagement strategies can be summarized in the following table.
Table 5 Summary of Economic and Social Benefits of Diaspora Engagement
Financial Non-Financial
Remittances Knowledge and skill transfers Direct business
investment
Advocacy in host countries
Capital market investment
Development of civil society
charity Job creation and market
linkages.
Source: 2014 Conference on Migration trends and policy development in the Caribbean
Additional instances of diaspora engagement that have produced mutual benefits to both the country of origin and the country of destination can be seen through the efforts of the International Congress of Fijians Inc. (ICFI). Such contributions have connected the Fijian community abroad and have provided monetary assistance to areas such as education. Additionally, the ICFI has aided in improving Fiji’s national image with regards to its ethnic diversity and history.
Fiji and Migration
Fiji’s history with emigration is predominantly set against the backdrop of the 1987 and 2000 military coups. According to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), 50,050 Fijian
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citizens emigrated between 1987 and 1996. From 1987 to 2000, however, nearly 17,000 Fijians had emigrated (Lal, 2003).
Emigration is considered an area of concern as the loss of skilled personnel in the health and education sectors has negatively impacted the quality of services available. Brief labor migration stints have influenced the country’s poverty level through remittances, thus prompting the need for more developed data collection methods to compile statistics of the Fijian community abroad23.
This trait, according to the MPI is one of two used to characterize Fiji’s emigration trend;
racial demographics (i.e. the “i-Taukei” and the Indo-Fijians) being the other. Sir Arthur Lewis Gordon, first colonial governor of Fiji, introduced immigrant labour (in the form of over 160,000 Indian immigrant labor) to the country as a dual solution to protect and ensure the existence of “i-Taukei” life and society. This fact is significant, as about 90%
of emigrants during the above-mentioned emigration waves were Indo-Fijian (Lal, 2003).
Though absent, connections are still maintained with the homeland despite the diaspora’s gradual assimilation into their host countries’ culture and society.
The International Congress of Fiji Inc. (ICFI)
The International Congress of Fiji Inc. (ICFI), formerly known as the International Congress of Fiji Indians is the only international body representing the Fijian diaspora around the world24. The name of the organization was changed in 2012, to reflect a broader objective and to serve as a more inclusive unit for all Fijians, regardless of their ethnicity. The decision to change may also reflect progress made by the government of Fiji to ensure equal rights to all Fijians.
The ICFI is a non-governmental organization based in Australia with members who are community leaders, philanthropists, professionals and benefactors. The organization's
23 Population and Development Profiles: Pacific Island Countries United Nations Population Fund, Pacific Sub-Regional Office, 2014.
24 Global body aids poor children in Fiji, Indian Newslink, 2012, http://www.indiannewslink.co.nz/global-body-aids-poor-children-in-fiji/
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outreach includes Fijians from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and Vietnam25. Over the past 10 year, the ICFI has been proactive in addressing the needs of its youth in the area of education and poverty
reduction. Since 2002, donations to help students in Fiji fund tuition, uniforms and school supplies have resulted in a scholarship program that has assisted a total of 9,709 primary, secondary and university students over a 10 year period.
“…A large number of students are capable of achieving technical and other qualifications but paucity of finance proscribes them from doing so. The ICFI aims to identify such students and grant
scholarship so that their progress is not restrained by financial considerations,” (Indian Newslink, 2012)
Through these scholarships, the ICFI has also aided in poverty reduction, as one’s level of education can be a determining factor in alleviating poverty throughout Fiji. Poverty rates for 2012 cited households where the head of the household did not possess a secondary school education at around fifty percent.
In addressing this aspect of poverty alleviation, the ICFI has channeled the monetary capacities of a membership that is mostly made up of those with established financial standing in a positive way.
Finding out the capabilities and constraints among the diaspora in Taiwan is important in understanding ways that the community can contribute to various causes in Taiwan and in CARICOM countries.
25 Congress to bring together Fijian Diaspora , Indian Newslink, 2012, http://www.indiannewslink.co.nz/congress-to-bring-together-fijian-diaspora/
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(ii) What specific aspects of regional diaspora-based diplomacy models can be applied to the CARICOM-Asia-Pacific context?
The data analysis of the survey supports the need for a united CARICOM initiative in Taiwan. Responses also reflected that continued cultural exchanges and knowledge transfer opportunities between the home countries and host country are effective ways that can further strengthen relations (Appendix B, Question 37 & 38). The presence of small diaspora communities should not be seen as being synonymous with a lack of migration. Rather, it is due to the small populations of certain countries. Yet, even with a significantly smaller size, countries of origin have nevertheless felt the impact of the exodus of its nationals; a majority of whom possessed skills necessary for their home countries' overall development. What follows pertains to determining plausible ways and devising capable mechanisms that adequately maximize the skill-sets and experiences of the diaspora.
The Role of Diaspora Youth
“Youth is in fact a metaphor for capability, for optimism, for challenge to accepted standards for the pursuit of the alternative path, for
change,” (Charles, 2008, pg. 147)
To focus on the diaspora in Taiwan means to focus on the presence of the student and the young professional community in the country. With the majority of students falling within the 18-30 age range, the community in Taiwan is made up of individuals in the ideal age range with the potential to make valuable contributions in different areas.
Charles (2008) describes youth as possessing nine different intelligences namely, factual, analytical, linguistic, spatial, musical, practical, intuitive and interpersonal. These nine skills become enriched with different perspectives upon interaction with different environments and peoples outside of the homeland. Nevertheless, these skills should be further harnessed, developed and channeled into appropriate areas.
The definition of capacity building initially provided in this thesis, highlights areas in
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which skills and talents can be maximized for desired outcomes. However, in applying capacity building to the context of this thesis, practical examples have been presented.
These examples serve to take the concept of capacity building and produce realistic scenarios. Taking into consideration the characteristics and limitations of the CARICOM diaspora in Taiwan, the following suggestions are thus provided.
Capacity Building among the Youth: Application to the Diaspora in Taiwan Satterwhite, Teng and Fernandopulle (2007) address the link between culture and capacity building. The approaches involving capacity building and culture are divided into “culturally competent” and “culturally-based”. Culturally-competent approaches are described as strategies geared to “enhance the quality of life, create equal access to necessary resources, and…foster strategic and progressive social change resulting in a just society”. Culturally-based capacity building in contrast describes the “provision of transformational and technical support and training schemes for individuals,
organizations and communities…” This training stresses on utilizing knowledge, cultural sensitivity on issues such as race/ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and identity, age, language, disability and religion. The latter approach is of more relevance to this thesis.
Employing culturally-based strategies towards developing and empowering the diaspora in Taiwan takes into consideration that the youth and young professional communities are acquiring a unique perspective due to their induction into Taiwan’s education system, language and society. The goal is to have structured mechanisms that are able to channel this perspective and additional skill sets towards desired outcomes.
As a collective, the CARICOM diaspora in Taiwan has the responsibility of portraying their interest and willingness to become part of an initiative that is mutually beneficial.
Due to size and other constraints, efforts must be made by diaspora members to show their interest, willingness and commitment to diaspora engagement and mobilization schemes in order for a diaspora initiative to be successful.