Source : Kay-Jel Smithen FB
NEW YORK — Nevisian calypsonian Kay-Jel Smithen brought the voice and perspective of the Caribbean to an international conversation on climate change, mobility and displacement during the Climate Mobility Summit in New York.
Smithen was invited by the Global Centre for Climate Mobility (GCCM) to participate in the summit, which took place during the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week. His participation provided an opportunity to highlight the role of Caribbean culture and the arts in conversations surrounding the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities.
Smithen participated not simply as a summit attendee, but as a calypsonian, using music to contribute to discussions concerning climate change, human mobility, displacement and the importance of maintaining connections to home.
Reflecting on the experience, Smithen said the opportunity reinforced his belief that music has an important role to play in global conversations about climate change.
“Our islands may be small, but our stories, our culture and our voices belong in rooms where the future is being discussed,” Smithen said.
He expressed gratitude to the GCCM for creating space for artists and frontline voices to contribute to the dialogue, while noting the significance of representing Nevis and the wider Caribbean on an international platform.
Smithen said climate change must be understood as more than a matter of statistics and policy discussions, pointing to its implications for homes, families, cultures and identities.
“There is more to climate change than numbers and policy papers,” he noted. “There are homes, families, cultures, identities — and people who simply want the opportunity to remain where they call home.”
Smithen’s participation at the Climate Mobility Summit underscores the potential of cultural expression, particularly calypso, to bring lived experiences and Caribbean perspectives into international discussions on climate mobility and the future of vulnerable communities.
