Dr Kris Rampersad is a media, cultural and literary consultant, author, researcher, lecturer and journalist with more than 20 years in media and more than eight years experience in working with national level and international intergovernmental and developmental agencies in culture, gender and civil society empowerment including the UN and UN agencies including UNESCO, UNDP, UNIFEM and UN-WSIS, Commonwealth Foundation, Organisation of American States, and CARICOM institutions and organizations in relation to education, culture, gender, media, communications and outreach.
Has more than three decades in interrogating multiculturalism in post colonial societies, with specific focus on Caribbean diversity in global contexts.
Most recent book, Through the Political Glass Ceiling (2010) contextualises the 2010 Trinidad and Tobago general election and the role of gender, culture and geo-politics in the clash of political cultures of various migrant streams. First book, Finding a Place, (2002) with special focus on the Indian diaspora in the Caribbean, takes a bird’s eye view of the literary evolution of Trinidad, as it emerges from a position of newness to formation and evolution of new cultures through the introductions and interactions of peoples of diverse origins.
Researched development perspectives on diversity and multiculturalism in the context of the UNESCO Convention, EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreements and other national, regional and international policies have attracted the attention of many governments and intergovernmental and civil society organizations.
Media, Outreach & Communications: A career in journalism of some 20 years.
Over the past seven years her focus has been on developing effective media, communications and outreach strategies that promote multi-sectoral approaches to development, and links academia and the technical/scientific community with politicians, policy makers, media and NGOs.
Creative and interactive seminar and media and outreach strategies and programmes, using modes culturally sensitive to communities in which they are executed to bridge relations between scientific/academic and technical audiences with other stakeholders – politicians, media and civil society - have been successfully adopted by several international organisations. These include the Commonwealth Foundation of the Commonwealth People’s Forum of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2009, CTA-ACP-EU (Technical Cooperation in Agriculture and Rural Development in ACP-EU) International Seminar on the Role of Media in Agricultural Development in Brussels; and the IICA/CARDI Caribbean Week of Agriculture for which she has also coordinated media activities and prepared and executed media strategies.
Social Projects Writes and produces for print and television, and heads a publication and production house working to capture socially and culturally relevant research, productions and creations.
Is International Relations Director of the Network of NGOs of Trinidad and Tobago for the Advancement of Women, a founder of the Caribbean Coalition on Cultural Diversity; the Trinidad Theatre Workshop Fund for Literature, Drama and Film; Friends of Mr Biswas, among others; is listed on the ConnectCP Who’s Who in Cultural Policy Research, and has received several awards for her contributions to journalism, and the arts and culture.
See: www.connectcp.org/KrisRampersad