ThinkFest’s next installment is to focus on the role of the media in the 1959 theatre boycotts.

Dana “Zhyon” Selassie, PhD will discuss research findings in a presentation entitled “Navigating Media and Race in a Segregated Colony”.

“This presentation on Bermuda’s colonial media in the 1950s, and more directly, on the Bermuda Recorder, offers a vital piece in the analysis of Bermuda’s media industry, race and national identity, and how these factors impacted and helped to shape the outcome of the Bermuda Theatre Boycotts,” said Dr. Selassie.

“The Bermuda Recorder’s role in the fight for the desegregation of the colony, for example, is an essential part of Bermuda’s story, and a vital historical contribution to the black Bermudian experience.

“Further, this presentation offers a deeper understanding and illustration as to how media was used as a tool that supported and helped to orchestrate new articulations of black identity as the island navigated racial integration.”

The event takes place at Liberty Theatre on Sunday starting at 7 pm. Traditional ginger beer and Bissap (a drink made from dried hibiscus consumed widely throughout West Africa and known in the Caribbean as Sorrel).

Dana Selassie, PhD

Bermudian Dana ‘Zhyon’ Selassie has been involved in Bermuda’s television industry for over 25 years, working locally and internationally as a television producer, film director, media strategist, educator and researcher.

Currently, Dr. Selassie is the Lecturer of Film and Television and VC2020 Researcher at De Montfort University in the UK, where she also serves as Deputy Programme Leader for the BSc in Media Production.

With vast technical and production knowledge, Dana has expanded her portfolio through PhD research as she critically examines political and cultural practices within Bermuda’s emerging radio and television industries in the 1940s-1960s, as a colonial broadcast historian.

Dr. Selassie’s presentation follows on from a very successful debut of ThinkFest yesterday afternoon.

The newest event on the Bermuda calendar, Think Fest is an opportunity for the island to celebrate and acknowledge Bermudian academics and independent thinkers, a platform for networking with potential employers, funders, other academics and researchers and a forum for discussing the latest research in a wide variety of fields.

Each of the Think Fest presenters will dive deeply into a single topic for an extended period, followed by a chat with a host and audience participation.

For Think Fest 2017, more than a dozen academics will present on topics such as the latest developments in cancer research, linguistics, media and race, ethnobotany and crime talk.

Several of them have agreed to take time off from their work and research to come to Bermuda specifically to participate in Think Fest 2017.

While the topics will vary widely, the presenters have a single commonality – they are all Bermudians and all outstanding in their fields.

Organisers have also taken the opportunity to use Think Fest as a platform for introducing startups or new business concepts.

For the first session in the series, refreshments inspired by West African cuisine was provided by African Kitchen – a new catering and pop up restaurant concept.

These events will have limited seating. Some will have intimate discussions with audience participation. Others will be more formal lecture style presentations.

There are a number of sponsorship and patronage opportunities to assist with some of the extraordinary costs involved in ensuring the success of Think Fest.

Interested persons and organizations can contact us directly for more information at info@think.bm.

Tickets for Think Fest 2017 events can be purchased online at https://think.bm or on a cash only basis at the door.

ThinkMedia Supporter members receive significant discounts on their admissions purchased online.

Early bird and group discount tickets are available for online purchases.

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