We aim to create reciprocal opportunities by finding new ways to connect with and understand each other, and through building capacity, collaborating, and sharing the best of UK arts.

Over the past two years, the British Council has been actively building relationships between the visual arts sectors in the UK and the Caribbean. There is a renewed interest in the cross-cultural exchange between the two regions; this is in part due to the Commonwealth Games Cultural Programme, which took place in Glasgow in 2014 and provided a platform for Scotland to re-examine its links to the Caribbean through its role in the slave trade. This can be evidenced by Stephen Mullen’s book, It Wisnae Us: The Truth About Glasgow and Slavery.

Underpinning the programme of arts activity between Scotland and the Caribbean is the aim to facilitate greater understanding between the peoples of both regions. This programme seeks to open up conversations across the waters and move towards a more mature and nuanced understanding of each other’s culture.