Lessons from Barbados
Better Days Ahead - Idil Ahmed
I have been in Barbados since Sunday. Asked to facilitate a workshop on using the value chain to enhance climate change resilience, I took up the challenge. Barbados has always been for me, a place with such beautiful beaches that calms my soul.
My expectation of fisherfolk was different, I must admit. When I saw that in the room the majority of fisherfolk were women, I smiled.
I smiled because I bought into a stereotype that most fisherfolk were men, and I smiled because the women came in the room with such pride and stature, it made me feel proud.
Change is difficult, we love to be comfortable and to be in control, change eliminates both comfort and control and so, we resist it.
Looking at the makeup of the audience there was a bit of a tension between the older men and these younger women who wanted to do new things in the fishing industry, who were up with the times on the effects of climate change, who were using technology. By the end of the session, I saw a softening of the stance, seeing that the changes were for the improvement of the industry. Of course, the ones with the big ego's found it more challenging.
I have learnt to drop expectations of how something is supposed to be and leave some room for surprise, that everything can be done with pride and stature and to learn to embrace change even if it is scary.
Today I go on a tour of the four main fish markets on the island, with my lessons in hand
Peace
I have been in Barbados since Sunday. Asked to facilitate a workshop on using the value chain to enhance climate change resilience, I took up the challenge. Barbados has always been for me, a place with such beautiful beaches that calms my soul.
My expectation of fisherfolk was different, I must admit. When I saw that in the room the majority of fisherfolk were women, I smiled.
I smiled because I bought into a stereotype that most fisherfolk were men, and I smiled because the women came in the room with such pride and stature, it made me feel proud.
Change is difficult, we love to be comfortable and to be in control, change eliminates both comfort and control and so, we resist it.
Looking at the makeup of the audience there was a bit of a tension between the older men and these younger women who wanted to do new things in the fishing industry, who were up with the times on the effects of climate change, who were using technology. By the end of the session, I saw a softening of the stance, seeing that the changes were for the improvement of the industry. Of course, the ones with the big ego's found it more challenging.
I have learnt to drop expectations of how something is supposed to be and leave some room for surprise, that everything can be done with pride and stature and to learn to embrace change even if it is scary.
Today I go on a tour of the four main fish markets on the island, with my lessons in hand
Peace
Read about Akosua's Journey on A Tribe of Women Blog
Have you read any of Akosua's work?
Follow Akosua on
Comments
Post a Comment